If you are searching for sign language courses, the chances are you will be interested in taking your first steps towards learning how to sign.
Like learning any language, sign language is complex and involves rehearsal. Whether you are learning to communicate with a relative or need to use sign in your job, there are some things you might not have realised before signing up to a course.
Here are 5 interesting things you should know about sign language!
1. It's not a universal language.
Every language has a different type of sign and like spoken language these have developed over time. Some words can be signed very differently in British and American Sign Language, in fact they only have about one third of the same signals.
2. It has its own grammar rules.
If someone raises their voice when speaking, the meaning of the statement or question can change. Similar to this, when signing the grammar can also change.
For example, when it comes to questions, eyebrow position is important; if you are asking a who, what, when, where, why question, your eyebrows should go down. Alternatively, when asking a yes or no question, eyebrows should be raised. Getting this wrong is equivalent to hearing someone speak in a foreign language.
3. Babies learn sign language like spoken English.
Did you know that more than 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents? Having a child who is hearing impaired can be life changing and mean that parents will need to sign to the baby from an early age. If they do, the child will acquire the language like they would spoken English; starting by babbling with their hands, they will go onto string signs together before later getting control of all the grammatical rules.
4. Not all deaf people can sign.
Contrary to common perception, not all deaf people use sign language to communicate. According to the British Deaf Association around 151,000 people use Sign Language as their first language. This must be compared with the 800,000 people in the UK who are severely or profoundly deaf.
5. Lipreading? It's mostly guesswork.
We’ve all seen detective programmes where the crime stopping hero lip reads from a CCTV tape. This is often not the case, and it's said that around 80% of lipreading is guesswork. It is a well known joke in deaf circles that mouthing the words ‘elephant’s shoes’ without making a sound, looks remarkably like saying "I love you"— this is one that can often lead to awkward situations!
If you're ready to start studying sign language, we have a number of full-time, part-time, and online courses to choose from. So take a look and get those hands moving!