3 ms·
I am Deaf myself and my Signed Language (Swiss German Sign Language) is special, so I don't know whether my experience is generalizable. It is very possible to
by _nalply 7y ago
I am Deaf myself and my Signed Language (Swiss German Sign Language) is special, so I don't know whether my experience is generalizable.
It is very possible to agree upon a language with your interpreters and colleagues who are also Deaf. So you create something not official but what works for you and your situation.
This approach often works fine for me: try to convey the meaning into movement and dynamics. Signed Languages are very powerful and are conceptually more capable to express something at its core instead giving it a name. Add to this "core" sign a few modifiers like fingerspell the first or the first few letters, and what works very well in Swiss German Sign Language, mouthing, i. e. move the mouth as if you would verbalize but don't make a sound. These mouthings are linguistically known as "mouth pictures". Exactly as loan words, and often the loaned words are mangled horribly but they are just an expedient for communication.
- mabbo 7y agoI studied American Sign Language for 3 years in University (more of a drinking club with credits than anything else). We were taught that a lot of signed language is like this- that signs can be invented as needed and agreed upon and that's just a normal part of what makes Signed languages cool. As a result, it was expected that if we traveled a few hundred km in any direction, the local signs might be dramatically different than the ones we're used to, and so we'd better learn to interpret context and ask what specific words meant.
- _nalply 7y agoCorrect.
- DavidAdams 7y agoI'd suppose it's no different than the wide use of local colloquialisms, abbreviations, and pronunciation differences in spoken language region by region. An American in Australia has to intuitively pick up a lot of new vocabulary in order to understand what's going on in addition to the obvious parsing of the accent.
- _nalply 7y agoAgain: correct.
- norgie 7y agoThis is a feature of all natural languages, not just signed ones. We commonly refer to these words or phrase as idioms, slang, jargon, etc.
- _nalply 7y agoSigned Languages are different. It's hard for people who don't talk a Signed Language to understand because of the Blub Paradox. The word "Blub Paradox" in itself is a good example of what Deaf people do if they encounter concepts they need to communicate. They make up words. Signed Languages are very productive in making up words. So it is not just an idiom, slang or jargon, it is more than that.