Many people in the United States still believe that ASL is universal. That is probably because they don’t know that it actually stands for American Sign Language. In other words, it is the language that many deaf people in our country communicate in.
is sign language a universal language
If you want to learn more about it, you’ve come to the right place! Check it out below.
Is ASL a language?
Yes! In 1880, at the Milan Conference, a conference for educators for deaf people, communication in Sign Languages was prohibited and so they determined that oralism was the proper educational method for these people. This means that they were supposed to learn speech and lipreading, to communicate more similarly to hearing people. This decision impacted the lives, especially in regards to education and development, of all deaf people worldwide, including in the US.
The American government does not recognize ASL as an official language. However, it is indeed a complete and natural language.
How was ASL created?
One could think that since we speak English in the United States, ASL would be pretty much the same as the British Sign Language (BSL), which is used by deaf people in the United Kingdom. But that’s not true! ASL, alongside many other Sign Languages in the world, has its origin from the French Sign Language (LSF). And it emerged in the American School for the Deaf (ASD).
As it is the American Sign Language, it sure has a lot of influence from our culture, since it also brings together signs that were used by deaf people in America, before it became an structured language.
Is ASL Universal?
The question “is ASL universal?”, may be one of the most common ones on the matter. But the answer is no! It is estimated that there are between 138 and 300 different Sign Languages from all over the world!
Apart from that, there are also other variations of these Sign Languages. This is due to regionalism or even affinity groups. In the US, we have Black ASL, which emerged from the black deaf culture, and it combines signs from ASL and those created by the community itself. We also have the Hawaii Sign Language, used mostly in Hawaii.
Which countries use ASL?
It may come as a surprise to you, but ASL is used in many different countries. In the United States alone, it is estimated that it is the main language used by 500 thousand people. ASL is also used in the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Canada, Mexico, much of West Africa and parts of Southeast Asia.
