Sign Language
Sign Language refers to visual-gestural languages used primarily by deaf and hard-of-hearing communities, developed as complete, grammatically complex languages distinct from spoken language.
Far from a simplified gestural code, this form of communication constitutes a fully complex language with its own distinct grammar, entirely separate from the spoken languages used in the same geographic regions.
A Complete, Complex Language
Sign languages are complete languages with their own distinct grammar and syntax, not simply visual representations of spoken language, and vary significantly between different countries and regions.
Formalized Educational Development
Formalized sign language education developed significantly in the 18th century, with early schools for the deaf establishing systematic approaches to sign language instruction and use.
American Sign Language
American Sign Language (ASL), one of the most widely studied sign languages, developed through a blend of French Sign Language and existing American deaf community communication methods.
Growing Recognition and Accessibility
Sign languages have gained increasing formal recognition and accessibility support in recent decades, including legal requirements for interpretation services in many countries' public institutions.
