Background on signed languages.
March 6, 2022 2:25 PM Subscribe
Looking for a cultural and linguistic introduction to signed languages for background on a sci-fi short story.
I'm writing a short story where the main character uses a signed language that developed on a space station as a way for beings—not necessarily humans—of different backgrounds to communicate with each other. The language in the story is not a descendant of any planet Earth signed languages.
I'd like some background on signed languages in general, either from a linguistic perspective, but easy enough for a non-linguist to understand, or from the point of view of signed language users, either native or adult learners.
I care about cultural issues, about how signed languages use space and movement and gestures to communicate, and about experiences in mixed families, where some members use signed languages and some don't.
I'm looking for books, websites, blogs, podcasts, or personal experience.
I'm writing a short story where the main character uses a signed language that developed on a space station as a way for beings—not necessarily humans—of different backgrounds to communicate with each other. The language in the story is not a descendant of any planet Earth signed languages.
I'd like some background on signed languages in general, either from a linguistic perspective, but easy enough for a non-linguist to understand, or from the point of view of signed language users, either native or adult learners.
I care about cultural issues, about how signed languages use space and movement and gestures to communicate, and about experiences in mixed families, where some members use signed languages and some don't.
I'm looking for books, websites, blogs, podcasts, or personal experience.
I took a seminar about exactly this as a freshman, and the main course textbook was Deaf In America. I dug up the course website on archive.org which also lists out the readings and what topics they covered. This class focused primarily on ASL but also did a brief comparative section, at least when I took it.
This was almost twenty years ago and maybe some of the readings will be dated, but I remember it being a great class. Hope some of the material is still helpful!
posted by potrzebie at 6:02 PM on March 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
This was almost twenty years ago and maybe some of the readings will be dated, but I remember it being a great class. Hope some of the material is still helpful!
posted by potrzebie at 6:02 PM on March 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
If you look at that course website you'll also see we watched a lot of videos in class. I am sure YouTube has a wealth of sign language videos to learn from; you could probably find some of those poems by name, and probably tons of other great material there too. There's also a section on mixed Deaf/hearing families in Far From the Tree that might be worth a look.
posted by potrzebie at 6:48 PM on March 6, 2022
posted by potrzebie at 6:48 PM on March 6, 2022
Bill Vicars’ videos on YouTube are a quick way to learn a bit of ASL (and it’s important to learn from a Deaf or hard of hearing person who has lived experience of communicating in sign).
posted by nouvelle-personne at 7:50 PM on March 6, 2022
posted by nouvelle-personne at 7:50 PM on March 6, 2022
Talking Hands is about linguists studying a sign language that evolved in relative isolation.
posted by mbrubeck at 8:13 PM on March 6, 2022
posted by mbrubeck at 8:13 PM on March 6, 2022
It's old and a bit dated, but Oliver Sacks' Seeing Voices is an outsider/neurologist take. I almost didn't bother reccing it, but his description of a Deaf woman with post-stroke left visual neglect/blindness who still uses a full-field signing space (since her brain says "this is language" not "this is vision") might spark some ideas, as might other bits
posted by DebetEsse at 10:12 PM on March 6, 2022
posted by DebetEsse at 10:12 PM on March 6, 2022
This previous post might be interesting, or this one. I've posted a but on Metafilter on signed languages and culture, so feel free to look through my history to see if there is something useful.
posted by Toddles at 10:34 PM on March 6, 2022
posted by Toddles at 10:34 PM on March 6, 2022
Great project!
Advice you may or may not need: Don't get too bogged down in the technical aspects of sign language. It takes a while to develop a full feel and understanding for sign language. However learning about sign languages is a great way to explore the amazing diversity of language and use that as a springboard for your ideas.
Also. Languages, like the Nicaraguan language mentioned here, develop in response to the needs of a culture and an environment. There was virtually no South African Sign Language vocabulary for teaching Design topics before we started teaching Design in high school to Deaf learners. Now we have developed more than 200 signs, and some pretty specific ones, like Deconstructivism, which is unlikely to be used in any other context. And signs for terms like Aluminium, where we only had Metal before.
What if your aliens had non human limbs? Deaf people without arms can sign with their feet. Deaf and blind signers rely on touch. They use Manual Signing.
Ten years back I wrote a paper (unpublished). It documents a performance piece I workshopped with four young Deaf performers. The paper explores the relationship between graphic languages and sign languages. My sign language was very basic then, so we developed a pictographic system to work out a story board.
A google doc resource list I compiled on Deaf poetry, sign song and rap. A great way to approach sign language.
A few interesting links:
- Rikchick. A writing system used by eight limbed signing aliens.
- Signwriting . A system for writing sign languages and/or describing movement.
Books:
- Volume control. David Owen's book is mostly about hearing loss, but a good few chapters on sign language and Deaf culture in a very readable format. Interesting is his description of communities where non Deaf also use sign language.
- Oliver Sacks' Silent Voices. I read this when I first started learning South African Sign Language. Written a while back, but still relevant.
- Arika Okrent's In the Land of Invented Languages. Such a great book this. A section on sign languages, and also a great background to the 'concept world building' necessary for developing languages.
posted by BrStekker at 2:46 AM on March 7, 2022 [8 favorites]
Advice you may or may not need: Don't get too bogged down in the technical aspects of sign language. It takes a while to develop a full feel and understanding for sign language. However learning about sign languages is a great way to explore the amazing diversity of language and use that as a springboard for your ideas.
Also. Languages, like the Nicaraguan language mentioned here, develop in response to the needs of a culture and an environment. There was virtually no South African Sign Language vocabulary for teaching Design topics before we started teaching Design in high school to Deaf learners. Now we have developed more than 200 signs, and some pretty specific ones, like Deconstructivism, which is unlikely to be used in any other context. And signs for terms like Aluminium, where we only had Metal before.
What if your aliens had non human limbs? Deaf people without arms can sign with their feet. Deaf and blind signers rely on touch. They use Manual Signing.
Ten years back I wrote a paper (unpublished). It documents a performance piece I workshopped with four young Deaf performers. The paper explores the relationship between graphic languages and sign languages. My sign language was very basic then, so we developed a pictographic system to work out a story board.
A google doc resource list I compiled on Deaf poetry, sign song and rap. A great way to approach sign language.
A few interesting links:
- Rikchick. A writing system used by eight limbed signing aliens.
- Signwriting . A system for writing sign languages and/or describing movement.
Books:
- Volume control. David Owen's book is mostly about hearing loss, but a good few chapters on sign language and Deaf culture in a very readable format. Interesting is his description of communities where non Deaf also use sign language.
- Oliver Sacks' Silent Voices. I read this when I first started learning South African Sign Language. Written a while back, but still relevant.
- Arika Okrent's In the Land of Invented Languages. Such a great book this. A section on sign languages, and also a great background to the 'concept world building' necessary for developing languages.
posted by BrStekker at 2:46 AM on March 7, 2022 [8 favorites]
I learned a lot from Scott Liddell's American Sign Language Syntax (1980). It's old, but focuses on what you won't get from catalogs of signs: how pronouns work, how verbs are inflected, pragmatic signals. One of the neat things about Sign languages is how much simultaneous signaling is going on. That is, you're not just signing one word, then another, then another. Multiple meanings are conveyed by tempo, repetition, facial expression, where exactly you make the sign, etc.
posted by zompist at 3:00 AM on March 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by zompist at 3:00 AM on March 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Great answers everybody, thank you, you've given me much to read, watch and ponder.
posted by signal at 4:26 AM on March 7, 2022
posted by signal at 4:26 AM on March 7, 2022
Response by poster: BrStekker: "What if your aliens had non human limbs? Deaf people without arms can sign with their feet. Deaf and blind signers rely on touch. They use Manual Signing .
"
Yes, in my story the signed language is pan-species and doesn't assume the signer has fingers.
posted by signal at 4:27 AM on March 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
"
Yes, in my story the signed language is pan-species and doesn't assume the signer has fingers.
posted by signal at 4:27 AM on March 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
Interesting not to make those assumptions. If two beings meet and they have non of the standard communication anatomy (eyes, mouths, arms, ability to make sound, or even movement etc), they would find a way to communicate. Communication is a priority.
posted by BrStekker at 4:49 AM on March 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by BrStekker at 4:49 AM on March 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
Zompist, you're absolutely right. Although facial expression can't be discounted in audible speech, sign language has so much going on to the extent where there might be times that a non signer would not even recognize what is happening as sign.
There's been a lot written about pointing (indexing?) and I can attest to that. Sometimes when I'm particularly lazy and one of my Deaf students wants to understand how to do something, I'll just point at the relevant tool or shelf. And it's more than just pointing as a non signer would, there are also plenty non manual actions happening (facial expressions, posture etc). And the person being signed to is being receptive to everything.
During Covid, my students were given face shields, to enable better communication, but they ended up preferring masks. What I noticed is that eyes came into play much more. My teenage students now have twenty different kinds of eye roll.
posted by BrStekker at 5:01 AM on March 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
There's been a lot written about pointing (indexing?) and I can attest to that. Sometimes when I'm particularly lazy and one of my Deaf students wants to understand how to do something, I'll just point at the relevant tool or shelf. And it's more than just pointing as a non signer would, there are also plenty non manual actions happening (facial expressions, posture etc). And the person being signed to is being receptive to everything.
During Covid, my students were given face shields, to enable better communication, but they ended up preferring masks. What I noticed is that eyes came into play much more. My teenage students now have twenty different kinds of eye roll.
posted by BrStekker at 5:01 AM on March 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: One thing I'm thinking is that there is a 'standard' language, shared by different species, and local dialects, so the humans, when signing with each other, might incorporate finger shapes or facial expressions that wouldn't be understood (or capable of being produced) by non-humans. So if you, a human, were signing with an 'alien' your language would be more formal, requiring mostly movement and positional grammar, whereas when signing with other humans you could be more expressive and 'loose'.
posted by signal at 6:28 AM on March 7, 2022
posted by signal at 6:28 AM on March 7, 2022
Reading your last comment, an interesting thing about sign language is how different it is in cultural and geographical areas.
Hearing people in England, Australia, and the US all speak and read mutually-intelligible dialects of English, but British Sign Language, AusLan, and American Sign Language are 3 completely different languages. BSL and AusLan have a bit of overlap but ASL is totally different - even just the finger-spelling alphabet is 100% different. (And due to segregation, older Deaf Black Americans sign a Black variant of ASL with some totally different signs too).
So the idea of one common signed language may feel really implausible to readers who know a lot about Earth sign languages.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 6:58 AM on March 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
Hearing people in England, Australia, and the US all speak and read mutually-intelligible dialects of English, but British Sign Language, AusLan, and American Sign Language are 3 completely different languages. BSL and AusLan have a bit of overlap but ASL is totally different - even just the finger-spelling alphabet is 100% different. (And due to segregation, older Deaf Black Americans sign a Black variant of ASL with some totally different signs too).
So the idea of one common signed language may feel really implausible to readers who know a lot about Earth sign languages.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 6:58 AM on March 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
nou velle-personnel, yes sign languages differ substantially. Some share roots, such as ASL and French sign language as FSL, I believe the oldest standardised sign language (I stand to be corrected here), was introduced to the US before ASL was standardised and there may still be traces. However I imagine if this was the case then there has been substantial divergence.
South African Sign Language (SASL) has substantial input from BSL and even Irish sign lang, however there has also been substantial divergence.
Of course, like everywhere else we have dialects which are largely mutually intelligible, however with the relative small population of sign language speakers and the distance between communities, there can be quite a few differences in vocabulary.
There have been attempts to create universal or bridging sign languages, sometimes with utilitarian purpose, eg for use at international conferences, however they have not been successful. I believe the failure due to a particular language being used as a base language, and others not being happy with this (correct me here if I'm wrong).
There have been many, many (many!) attempts to create universal languages, and very few have ever even moderately succeeded. Esperanto an exception, with native first language speakers, with the number of speakers possibly in the 100 thousands, however many are not fluent. The possible relative success of Esperanto is most likely due to the willingness of the founder to allow the language to adapt and fork.
The most common reason for failure of universal language projects is the conflict between the creators and the speakers, the creators demanding allegiance to the standard and the speakers using the language and from day one adapting it to their needs.
Languages only survive if they are used. And to be useful they need to adapt to context. And this change leads to a lack of universality.
posted by BrStekker at 8:07 AM on March 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
South African Sign Language (SASL) has substantial input from BSL and even Irish sign lang, however there has also been substantial divergence.
Of course, like everywhere else we have dialects which are largely mutually intelligible, however with the relative small population of sign language speakers and the distance between communities, there can be quite a few differences in vocabulary.
There have been attempts to create universal or bridging sign languages, sometimes with utilitarian purpose, eg for use at international conferences, however they have not been successful. I believe the failure due to a particular language being used as a base language, and others not being happy with this (correct me here if I'm wrong).
There have been many, many (many!) attempts to create universal languages, and very few have ever even moderately succeeded. Esperanto an exception, with native first language speakers, with the number of speakers possibly in the 100 thousands, however many are not fluent. The possible relative success of Esperanto is most likely due to the willingness of the founder to allow the language to adapt and fork.
The most common reason for failure of universal language projects is the conflict between the creators and the speakers, the creators demanding allegiance to the standard and the speakers using the language and from day one adapting it to their needs.
Languages only survive if they are used. And to be useful they need to adapt to context. And this change leads to a lack of universality.
posted by BrStekker at 8:07 AM on March 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: nouvelle-personne: "So the idea of one common signed language may feel really implausible to readers who know a lot about Earth sign languages."
That's a good point. In my story, however, the language is endemic to a single Space Station, and the dialects relate to which species on that one station uses it. I think it works.
posted by signal at 2:43 PM on March 7, 2022
That's a good point. In my story, however, the language is endemic to a single Space Station, and the dialects relate to which species on that one station uses it. I think it works.
posted by signal at 2:43 PM on March 7, 2022
Ooh then you should definitely also read up on Plains Sign Language, a trade language used because it was mutually intelligible by several indigenous American tribes that didn't share a spoken language!
posted by potrzebie at 6:46 PM on March 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by potrzebie at 6:46 PM on March 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
Possibly of interest to you as an effort by a small group to overcome issues of isolation, accessibility, and technical limitations: How one group is remaking sign language for the VR age.
posted by taz at 12:04 PM on March 21, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by taz at 12:04 PM on March 21, 2022 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: taz, that's amazing, i was in fact wondering about how signing would work via video or VR in my story. Thanks!
posted by signal at 6:14 AM on March 22, 2022
posted by signal at 6:14 AM on March 22, 2022
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This (linguistics) stack overflow question may have some relevant stuff for you, including some references to signed trade pidgins used by Plains Indians in North America.
posted by col_pogo at 4:11 PM on March 6, 2022