I wish I had more opportunities to learn sign language when I was younger, perhaps even as a language in my middle and high school. It really is its own language, and not just an adaptation of English. In fact, ASL is more closely related to French sign language than it is to British sign language! It has a completely different linguistic history and evolution. Learning a little more about sign language also made me think about how the symbols that I associated with sign language are just that; they communicate a thought. English as a whole is the same way, with sounds or images (words) as symbols that represent thoughts, however I’ve been speaking language for so long that I don’t really think about it that way.

I learned the alphabet years ago to talk with my friends during silent fire drills, but spelling out each word always seemed slow and clumsy. I was excited to be able to participate in this presentation, hoping to learn a few words in sign language, but in fact I was able to learn so much more than I thought possible in such a short time. We learned how to introduce ourselves, ask basic questions, and answer questions about our major. I found it really interesting to see how words built on each other, similar to how English has compound words, or shared characteristics, such as directionality or shape, rather than needing an individual sign for each word. Learning about that allowed me to make the connection between ASL and languages in general.

I think everyone should know a few basic words and numbers in ASL, since not only would it be nice to communicate with people who are hard of hearing or deaf, but it might also be important in an emergency or medical situation. Lastly I was surprised by how large of a role expressions play in sign language. For example, if you don’t furrow your eyebrows while asking some questions, then it isn’t a proper question. Expressions are important for English, but pitch and tone are more important. I guess facial expressions are the equivalent.