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Using sign language
14/08/09
Using sign language
When we talk we don’t just use words to tell people what we mean. We show how we feel with body language – the way we move parts of our body when we speak – and our facial expressions. This is the same for sign language, too. For example, the difference between two similar sentences like ‘Did you give me a drink?’ and ‘I gave you a drink’ is shown both by the hand signs used and the direction in which those signs are made. If someone asks ‘Did you give me a drink?’ they signal from the other person to themself, and they raise their eyebrows at the end of the sentence to show they are asking a question. Think about what gestures you make when you speak. You will probably find that you often do many of these kinds of things without really thinking.
Sign language is a language like any other. People can say something in sign language as quickly (if not quicker) as they can using spoken words. You can argue in sign, discuss mathematical problems, or share a good joke.
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