Tuesday, April 24, 2012

How to "Speak" Sign Language

If you find the title of this post offensive, I'm here to tell you that I agree. While I'm at it, I will highlight a few other pretty ignorant misconceptions about something very important to me and hundreds of millions of other people on earth.
My sister is not speaking sign language.
In the last two years or so, a number of people have told me that I "speak sign language! Wow, that is so great!" And I always want to tell them No. I do not speak sign language. I use sign language; I also sign. It is impossible to speak a language that does not employ the vocal cords.
On that note, another thing I want to say is Yes. American Sign Language is indeed, as implied by the third word in the phrase "American Sign Language", a language. Several weeks ago a good-hearted and well-meaning woman was watching me sign, and made this wonderstruck comment: "Wow. It's like learning another language..."
"Yes, it is," I patiently responded, wanting to strike her wrist with a ruler for being so ignorant. Another woman with us, who does not know ASL but does have common sense, remarked: "It is another language." In my head I was applauding.

In the course of these last three paragraphs, I hope you have learned at least two things:
YES. American Sign Language is a language.
NO. You cannot speak it.

Thanks for reading,

Brooklyn
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1 comment:

  1. Lime Green LadyApril 25, 2012 at 8:51 PM

    What bothers me is when someone finds out that you use sign language, they always reply: "Cool. I know Sign Language too, when after conversing with them for awhile you find out that all they really know is about 10 words, plus the alphabet. So what I like to tell people---if it comes up---is that I am LEARNING Sign Language. I was enrolled in a 6 month Sign Language course and have been involved with a Sign Language congregation for almost 2 years, and I still don't feel qualified to say that I KNOW Sign Language. It is a long process to get to know the intricacies of a different language, whether it's French, Russian, or Romanian, so I won't feel like I can proudly say that I "know" Sign Language for quite some time. And I definitely don't want to insult a deaf person who has been using Sign Language----whether it is ASL or SEE---their whole life, by telling them that I know Sign Language! I can converse fairly well with a deaf person who uses Sign Language and/or a friends who also uses Sign Language, but to "brag" that I KNOW Sign Language would not be being honest with myself or those of the deaf community.

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