Importance of Sign Language

What is Sign Language?

Sign language is the bridge that connects us to the world of those who have an impaired hearing or verbal ability. An array of gestures made using hands, fingers, arms, head and facial expressions besides symbols constitute a sign language. It helps the deaf and the dumb to communicate with the people around them and vice versa. It enables them to understand the world around them through visual descriptions and in turn, contribute to the society. Heather Whitestone became the first deaf woman to win the Miss America pageant in the year 1995 proving to the world that such people can thrive equally well. Helen Keller is considered to be the first woman who was educated in spite of being deaf and blind using sign language. 

Sign language is based on ideas rather than words. It is a language that cannot be written and comprises of 26 hand symbols each representing one alphabet. These symbols are conveyed using fingers and words are spelt. Words or names are expressed using a combination of finger spellings as well as gestures. Over the period of time standard sign languages, namely American Sign Language (ASL) and British Sign Language (BSL) have developed and are used by the deaf. Many deaf schools use a technique called total communication which implies the use of ASL or BSL, oral speech and lip reading.

History of Sign Language

Signs probably have been the first form of communication used by man since his evolutions. Signs can be said to be as old as the human race. Babies make noises or use gesture what they want or how they feel. People who are not natives use signs to communicate with the others as language is a barrier. We still use signs when we need to communicate with each other without being noticed or heard. Nobody can say with certainty as to where and when did the first sign evolve. For many years the deaf and the dumb were ill-treated and considered unfit to be educated. Aristotle was the biggest proponent of this theory. His ideas were challenged about two thousand years later by an Italian physicist, Girolamo Cardano, who attempted to educate his own deaf son. It was in the year 1545 that a Spanish priest, Pedro de Ponce, set up the first ever school for the deaf. This was followed by many attempts to establish signs as a means of communication. The advocates of this act faced severe persecution but the sign language not only prevailed, but it also flourished. It finally put an end to the social isolation of the deaf and the dumb. Charles Michel de l’ Épée, often called the Father of the Deaf, was the most influential teacher of sign language. By the time of his death in the year 1789 had trained a team of teachers for the deaf and established 21 schools in France and Europe. Soon the French and the European efforts to educate the deaf spread to America and eventually the ASL or the American Sign Language became the official sign language of the deaf and the dumb. Different groups of people have developed their own particular sign languages over the years. However, the sign language has a different syntax and grammar that varies from the native language of that place. Today we have more than 50 sign languages such as the Danish, Chinese, American and French. The sign language has evolved in different parts of the world just like the other spoken languages.

Advantages of Learning Sign Language

The process of learning a sign language requires a lot of patience and practice. It is learnt by the deaf themselves, the family members of the deaf, teachers who deal with children who are disabled as well as by newsreaders who convey the news to the deaf viewers using sign language. Besides them, the deep sea divers also use sign language to communicate under the deep waters where speaking is not possible. The experience of communicating words or feelings through hands, finger spells, facial expressions is quite amazing and thrilling. Some of the benefits of learning the sign language and its usage are as follows:

• Helps the deaf and the dumb to communicate with the others as well as amongst themselves
• Helps in the process of social inclusion of those that suffer from hearing impairment
• Provides a chance to the deaf children to educate themselves
• Enhances the level of confidence among the disabled
• Instils a feeling of social responsibility and sensitivity among the non-deaf who volunteer to learn sign language in order to communicate with those who are disabled
• Makes life easier for the deaf
• Deaf babies can be taught sign language more easily than verbal language as the muscles of their hands develop faster than their mouth. They can pick up signs faster and learn to express themselves better as they grow.
• Research proves that children who learn to use signs at an early age are smarter than the children who do not
• Easier and effective communication reduces chances of conflict between people
• Sign language interpreters and educators are greatly required in public places such as police stations, courts, hospitals to remove language barriers between the deaf and the normal people and prevent any chance of exploitation
• It is believed that 90 per cent of the deaf children is born to parents who can listen properly. Therefore such parents need to learn the sign language to communicate with their child

Benefits of Sign Language for Autistic Children
Use of sign language has proved to be a great boon for the autistic children who find it difficult to express themselves verbally. Research proves that such children, when trained using sign language along with verbal communication, tend to become more receptive and learn to express themselves easily. Training in sign language helps them speak faster and more coherently as the sign language activates the same part of the brain that the verbal language does. Eventually, as the autistic children start expressing themselves effectively, their social interaction is augmented. This further reduces the instances or the possibility of emotional as well as behavioural outbursts and lowers their frustration levels.

Sign Languages Abbreviations
There is no universal sign language and nearly every country has developed its own language to fulfil the needs of its deaf community. There is no clarity on how many sign languages exist in the world. Some countries have more than one native sign language. However, the 2013 Ethnologue (catalogue of languages) lists 137 sign languages in all.