LL-L: "Sign language" LOWLANDS-L, 27.JAN.2000 (02) [E]

[Lowlands-L Administrator]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 27.JAN.2000 (02) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
 Posting Address: <lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org>
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 A=Afrikaans, Ap=Appalachean, D=Dutch, E=English, F=Frisian, L=Limburgish
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From: Pat Reynolds [pat at caerlas.demon.co.uk]
Subject: LL-L: "Sign language" LOWLANDS-L, 26.JAN.2000 (09) [E]

In message <388F67A2.6E8BF371 at yahoo.com>, Lowlands-L Administrator
<sassisch at yahoo.com> writes
>I'm wondering if sign language is a "real" equivalent to spoken language.

Deaf people, and linguists, in England and America at least argue that
it is.  The first paper was by William Stokoe (1960).

A quote is from the Dictionary of British Sign Language / English,
edited by Peter Brian, but refers to the work of Peter Jackson
(1990)"During this period [1970s and 1980s] signed languages achieved
linguistic recognition as natural languages; languages independent of
spoken languages" (this is why speakers of Belgian Sign Language may be
having problems with Dutch - the languages are more unrelated than
English and Dutch, and I'm having enough trouble.  I would guess they're
as likely to be good at Dutch as native speakers of Japanese - a little
better because they know Dutch culture, a little worse because the sign
language uses hand movements and shapes and positionings where both
Japanese and Dutch use breath, tongue and mouth movements, and therefor
the written script is referring to something not as familiar).

I have heard deaf people express wonder when first meeting speakers of
other sign languages: the concept of listening to someone, knowing that
they are speaking a language, but not understanding it (an experience
that hearing children, particularly in Europe, get from infancy), is a
novel experience.

Best wishes,

--
Pat Reynolds
pat at caerlas.demon.co.uk
   "It might look a bit messy now, but just you come back in 500 years time"
   (T. Pratchett)

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From: "Ian James Parsley" <parsleyij at yahoo.com>
Subject: LL-L: "Sign language" LOWLANDS-L, 26.JAN.2000 (13) [E]

If I could make a quick correction, Sandy, in Northern Ireland many
Catholics will *name* their sign language "Irish" and many Protestants
"British", in practice they are one and the same thing. Sign languages
do, of course, have their own dialects, and as such there would probably be
a variety signed by Protestants and a variety signed by Catholics (given
it would be relatively uncommon, unfortunately, for the two groups to
meet). But in reality it would be hard to claim Irish Sign Language is
anything other than a variant of BSL.

Best wishes,
-------------------------------
Ian James Parsley
http://www.gcty.com/parsleyij
"JOY - Jesus, Others, You"

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