Even in the dark? Or at a distance? Or not facing the signer? Or with arthritis?
Differently abled folks are entitled to their own culture and beliefs. Yet claims like that seem to be trying too hard to find a silver lining.
This also is proof that sign language works in the dark.
What I've noticed is that in deaf-blind contexts plain ASL is terrible for back-channeling information... is the listener paying attention? Agreeing? Disagreeing? Laughing? Protactile communicates these back to the signer using touch, and not touching is considered rude.
Entire office is not going to learn new language, just to speak with an odd deaf person. And communicating specialized stuff like technical programming is not possible, gestures only cover basic words.
I want to gently push back on this. While sign languages do have signs for common, “basic” words (ASL has a lot of 1:1 mapped signs for English), sign languages are languages. They can, and do, express “specialized stuff”.
I have two coworkers who are deaf and they absolutely communicate specialized medical and technical concepts to each other and other people who use sign language. It’s amazing to watch them sign to each other, as someone who is only intermediate at ASL.
This part just absolutely and categorically untrue.
I've personally witnessed people whiteboard code using only ASL on multiple different occasions.
We've negotiated imperial territory disputes and hired mercenaries on contract with pantomine. You get there eventually if you're motivated & creative. It's about how efficient using the language for that purpose is. If it lacks a lot of specialized jargon, that jargon needs to be unpacked into symbology that does exist in the language both people are trying to use.
With any language learning, you revert to more basic forms in a sort of puzzle of "How do I say that?" if you don't have a deep exposure to the vocabulary. An elementary learner might use twenty words of clarification to be certain of communicating meaning where an expert uses six.
With ASL, reverting to fingerspelling to bridge gaps in either person's vocabulary or in the existing corpus of well-known ASL vocabulary is also common.
But fingerspelling and using long strings of basic words is painfully slow compared to higher bandwidth formats. If two people speak two languages, they can just pick the one that has the best mutual SNR, which allows for the most concise effective communication. Sometimes, that's going to be written text typed into a phone instead of ASL, and sometimes it's going to be the other way around.
Perhaps I should say "not economically viable". We could also use morse code, but it is just not very practical.
> you revert to more basic forms in a sort of puzzle of "How do I say that?
So we are playing "guess what" and pantomime at working hours. Wonderful!
> reverting to fingerspelling to bridge gaps in either person's vocabulary
Typing on phone or keyboard just seems more practical. Or using pen and paper....
This is covered in (among many other places) the introduction to the Wikipedia article on sign language: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sign_language
Sign language is way more than just gesturing. I did not see read that link from the above post, regardless, gestures are fundamentally a semiotic expression of meaning with the body rather than speech.
Like sounds, one can create a basic Piercian sign, and build onto that sign.
I believe that sign language has the unfortunate implication of being composed exclusively of gesturing. The word “sign” is confusing as well, especially when “sign” signifies (pun intended) a set of commonly understood meanings in linguistics. Body language, gestures, manual expressions all are just parts that come together and become more than the total of sum parts.
I see spoken and sign languages as two different tools that can do similar job with different features and weaknesses. Like python vs go vs JavaScript.
Dictionary meaning of gesture.
> Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the *visual-manual modality to convey meaning*
From the introduction to the wikipedia article.
Sign language is definitely made of gestures, at least by my understood definition of the word gesture.
By doing such you can communicate anything technical.
It's like if you write a long jargon phrase and then define an abbreviation in parentheses. Next time you can use the abbreviation. If the abbreviation becomes well known enough (especially in certain groups) then you may be able to omit the definition altogether, especially if you already know your audience.
I'm not sure about schools "manufacturing their own gestures" but sign languages tend to have regional dialects and shared jargon, much spoken dialects and jargon. It could be that these signs are simply regional variations, or that a single sign hasn't become dominant.
When I go to the doctor's office and someone interprets for me, I don't have trouble understanding the doctor.
Please don't speak so assuredly about things you clearly don't understand. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sign_language
I agree with the 1st sentence however. You don't have to know sign language to be content or happy with your life, even if you are deaf.
Same as...
Entire England is not going to learn new language, just to speak with an odd French person.
If you need to communicate while operating a vehicle sign language seem to put you at a disadvantage for example.
She also had no trouble ordering a drink from her boyfriend (not deaf) who was standing at the bar some way away in a crowded pub.
Sign languages are indeed quite useful.
The article seemed a bit straw man and whining, as well as recycling old ideas, such as letting groups isolate themselves from others, but I confess I was too bored to finish reading.