Interesting facts
about sign language
NATURAL
Sign languages are natural languages in the same
way that spoken languages are. This means that
they have developed spontaneously on the basis of
the desire and need of people to communicate.
A language is strongly connected to the culture of
its country.
Brief facts about the
Swedish Sign Language
Approximately
10,000 deaf people use
sign language in Sweden.
Approximately 30,000 people
use sign language within
the family or at work.
Sign lang
uages
are prope
r languag
es,
each with
its own
grammar.
There are approximately 160 different
sign languages throughout the world. Most countries
have their own national sign language, and in Sweden
Swedish Sign Language is used.
BILINGUALISM
Useful
Facts about
Sign Language
FUNCTIONAL
In the case of hunting, for instance, signs were
developed to enable hunters to communicate silently
with each other, and monks have used agreed signs
in order to communicate in situations where using
voice was prohibited.
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wedis
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ity lan
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The manual alphabet
consists of different
handshapes representing
all the letters of the alphabet.
It is used for spelling names
and certain words.
The Swedish manual
alphabet was constructed by
Per Aron Borg in the 19th century.
He also founded the first Swedish
school for the deaf:
Manillaskolan in Stockholm.
OLD TIMES
As long ago as in Ancient Greece, Plato (427–347 BC)
mentioned in his book “Cratylus” that deaf people
used gestures and movements.
S
THE FRENCH METHOD
A school for deaf children was founded in Paris in
1770 by the Abbé de l’Épée. In his opinion, sign
language was the obvious way to provide children
with an education. He also developed a manual
alphabet which was spread to other countries,
including the United States.
ISBN
978-91-28-00626-2 (printed version)
978-91-28-00627-9 (pdf)
Order Nr00626
ign language is a visual language.
Swedish Sign Language was acknowledged by the Swedish Parliament in 1981
as a language in its own right with its own
grammar. Sign language, as a subject became a part of the curriculum in the special
schools for the deaf and hard of hearing in
1983. Swedish Sign Language became more
strengthened in 2009 when it was given the
same status as other minority languages in
accordance with the Swedish Language Act.
W H AT E V E R YO N E S H O U L D K N O W A B O U T – S I G N L A N G U AG E
How is sign language different from
a spoken language?
Sign languages and spoken languages are based
on two different senses. Spoken language is based
on hearing, while sign language is based on seeing. This affects the ways in which the languages
are developed. There is also a tactile form of sign
language, when you read another person’s hand
movements by feeling the movements. Tactile sign
language is used by people who are deafblind.
The ear identifies audio signals which follow
a particular sequence, and where each individual
sound needs to be perceived. It is important that
the sounds and words follow a particular sequence,
as though written on a line. If too many jumbled sounds enter the ear, the listener experiences
a cacophony of sounds which makes it difficult
to understand what is being heard. Changing the
word order means also changing the content of
what is said. Spoken language is also ruled to some
extent by intonation, body language, gestures and
facial expressions.
Sign language, by contrast, is visual and based on
the eye being able to identify several signals at the
same time. Sign language is a simultaneous language. The signs used must be made and interpreted in
conjunction with the signals made by facial expression, mimicry, gaze and body posture. Voice is not
used but mouth movements are very important.
The duration of the signs are also important. Many
spoken words might be needed for saying the
same thing that is expressed simultaneously in sign
language.
Many people wonder if it really is possible to
express exactly the same thing in sign language as
in a spoken language. The answer is yes but with
some modifications. You can think about if it is
possible to express exactly the same thing in two
different spoken languages.
Why do deaf people from different
countries understand each other so
well compared to hearing people?
Despite the fact that every country has its own
sign language, sign language users from different
countries find it easier to understand each other
than people who speak different languages.
Sign language users are used to expressing
themselves visually by creating images for different
concepts. For instance, car and house are signed in
much the same way in many countries. Situations
and events can be represented in the form of movement by using surrounding space to express time
and space.
There is an international manual alphabet and
also a set of signs agreed on by sign language users
that are used at international gatherings.
How long does it take to learn sign
language?
Learning sign language is comparable to learning a
new spoken language. How long this takes depends
on the individual. Learning sign language is partly
dependent on how easy it is for the individual to
uses gestures, mimicry and eyes. Just as it is with
other languages, language development is dependent on the amount of exposure the user has to the
language environment.