Signs of the Times: It's Time to Learn American Sign Language

Have you ever held your thumb to your ear and pinky to your mouth to signal to someone that you want them to call you? Have you gone snorkeling or diving with a friend and signaled for them to take a look at something? Have you ever pointed to your wrist to indicate to someone that you wanted to know what time it was?

If you have ever done any of the above, you have used a form of sign language. After all, sign language is not just for the deaf, just as Japanese isn't just for the Japanese and Spanish isn't just for Hispanics. It's about communication, NOT what language it is.

"The inability to hear is a nuisance; the inability to communicate, a tragedy." --Unknown

With everything that is happening around us today, we each individually need to do our part to try to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. Personally, I feel that communication is just one of the solutions. We all need to learn about those different from ourselves. We need to be open minded about their cultures, languages, etc.

In my many efforts to learn about others, I have been learning American Sign Language (ASL) and learning about Deaf culture. ASL, which is used mainly in the Americas - there is no "true" universal sign language - is derived from French Sign language. In 1817, Laurent Clerc and Thomas Gallaudet opened what is now known as the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut. Clerc, a deaf teacher from France, adopted French sign language to English and began teaching it to teachers and students within the school. Deaf students, however, already had a manual language they used among themselves. Eventually, both languages merged and evolved into American Sign Language.

ASL, like all languages, is a living being. It is a purely physical language rather than written - almost a dance and goes through many changes and has many dialects. It is a bold, honest language - showing raw emotions openly. Facial expression and body language are very important to sign language. A simple tilt of the head can mean the difference between a question and a statement. It is a language that speaks volumes without saying a word.