"Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words."
This covers the different resources and training options available for individuals seeking to learn sign language.
Introduction to sign language: An overview of the history and types of sign language.
American Sign Language (ASL): The predominant sign language used in the United States.
British Sign Language (BSL): The predominant sign language used in the United Kingdom.
Signing systems: Different systems of sign language used in different countries.
Hand shapes: Understanding how the shape of the hands relates to the meaning of the sign.
Facial expressions: Understanding the importance of facial expressions in sign language.
Fingerspelling: Learning the alphabet in sign language.
Numbers: Learning how to sign numbers.
Grammatical structure: Understanding the syntax and grammar of sign language.
Sentence structure: Understanding how signs are put together to form sentences.
Non-manual signals: Non-verbal cues that are used in sign language.
Conversation skills: Learning how to have a conversation in sign language.
Deaf culture: Understanding the culture and community of the Deaf and hard of hearing.
Resources for learning sign language: Books, videos, online courses, and local classes for learning sign language.
Sign language interpreting: The profession of interpreting sign language for hearing individuals.
American Sign Language (ASL): A complete, grammatically consistent language used by deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in the United States and English-speaking parts of Canada.
British Sign Language (BSL): A complete, grammatically consistent language used by deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in the United Kingdom.
Australian Sign Language (Auslan): A complete, grammatically consistent language used by deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in Australia.
International Sign Language (ISL): A sign language used by deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals from different countries to communicate with each other at international events.
Signed Exact English (SEE): An artificial sign language that closely follows English grammar and syntax, used primarily in educational settings for deaf and hard-of-hearing children to improve English literacy.
Cued Speech: A visual communication system that combines handshapes and mouth movements to help deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals understand spoken language.
Makaton: A simplified sign language used to support communication development in children and adults with communication difficulties, including those with learning disabilities, autism, and Down syndrome.
Baby sign language: A simplified sign language used by parents and caregivers to communicate with infants and toddlers before they can speak.
Online sign language courses: Online courses and resources that teach various sign languages and may include videos, interactive activities, and quizzes.
Sign language dictionaries: Books and online resources that provide a reference for sign language vocabulary and grammar.
Sign language interpreting services: Professional interpreting services provided by trained interpreters to facilitate communication between deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals and hearing individuals.
Deaf culture and advocacy organizations: Groups that support the deaf and hard-of-hearing community and advocate for their rights and accessibility in society. These organizations may offer sign language classes, resources, and community events.
"Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation in combination with non-manual markers."
"Sign languages are full-fledged natural languages with their own grammar and lexicon."
"Sign languages are not universal and are usually not mutually intelligible, although there are also similarities among different sign languages."
"Linguists consider both spoken and signed communication to be types of natural language."
"Both emerged through an abstract, protracted aging process and evolved over time without meticulous planning."
"This is supported by the fact that there is substantial overlap between the neural substrates of sign and spoken language processing."
"Sign language should not be confused with body language, a type of nonverbal communication."
"Wherever communities of deaf people exist, sign languages have developed as useful means of communication and form the core of local Deaf cultures."
"Although signing is used primarily by the deaf and hard of hearing, it is also used by hearing individuals, such as those unable to physically speak, those who have trouble with oral language due to a disability or condition, and those with deaf family members including children of deaf adults."
"The number of sign languages worldwide is not precisely known."
"The 2021 edition of Ethnologue lists 150 sign languages."
"The SIGN-HUB Atlas of Sign Language Structures lists over 200."
"Notes that there are more which have not been documented or discovered yet."
"As of 2021, Indo Sign Language is the most used sign language in the world."
"Ethnologue ranks it as the 151st most 'spoken' language in the world."
"Some sign languages have obtained some form of legal recognition."
"Linguists distinguish natural sign languages from other systems that are precursors to them or obtained from them."
"Constructed manual codes for spoken languages, home sign, 'baby sign', and signs learned by non-human primates."
"Sign languages have developed as useful means of communication."