Are there accents in sign language? Like, within ASL or BSL, can you spot which deaf community an individual is from based on how far they tilt their hands in a movement, or some other seemingly subtle (or maybe big?) differences? Do families sign exactly the same way, in the same way hearing families often have extremely similar voices?
I imagine there's lots of ways to convey certain tones? I'm picturing maybe positioning your hands a certain way to convey that something you're signing is sarcastic, the same way hearing people change tone.
Do different generations have different slang? Like, do millennials and gen z have totally different ways of saying the same thing? Do deaf millennials have some equivalent of "doggo" which deaf gen z's roll their eyes at?
Do people create new signs all the time the same way slang in the hearing world is constantly evolving?
I'm really sorry if these questions are ignorant as hell.
I'm so intrigued and excited to learn more about a world I know very little about. I feel like there will be so many layers and intricacies I'm totally unaware of.
I like when people make roach use BSL idk it just feels special to me. Like realistically that would not fly in the military, but this is my delusion and I say he gets to
this is a petition to add british sign language to the uk national curriculum. if you could sign (uk residents only) or reblog that would be really helpful :)
I feel like we don’t talk enough about how CRAZY FREAKING IMPRESSIVE it is when people can speak in sign language and a spoken language simultaneously.
Like, ASL (and BSL and Auslan, afaik) isn’t just coded English, it’s an entirely different language with unique sentence structure, syntax, etc
Like, imagine being able to speak in English and Mandarin simultaneously, or even speaking one while typing the other at a conversational pace
Idk man I’m not a member of the Deaf community nor am I especially close with anyone who is but I’m so goddamn impressed by that every time I see it
so i recently got into learning ASL (which is amazing!! i love it so much!!) and am planning to reference it when writing a Legend of Zelda fanfic, like certain facial expressions or how quickly/forcefully a sign is made, etc.
the thing is, since i'm hearing, i'm wondering if those of you who are d/Deaf or HoH can give me some tips on how to write a signing character, like things you wish you'd see in fanfics, or things you wish writers would stop doing.
also, to show that the MC is communicating in another language other than English, i'm thinking of using these Japanese 「quotation brackets」. thoughts?
No but like people assume that if you lose speech sign language is automatically a good solution and idk if maybe different sign languages vary on this but I took a bsl class years ago and I sucked at it, like yeah finger shapes are fine but there's spatial dimensions to it and you have to make facial expressions for a lot of stuff to make sense and it feels so intense to do and process and it's kinda the opposite of how my brain works
The community! I've met so many lovely people in the Deaf community, and I can't express how important it was for me to meet other deaf individuals
The language. I am learning BSL, and it is something that I would reccomend to anyone, not just deaf people. Have you ever needed to communicate across a noisy room? It's so helpful and it blows my mind that sign language isn't usually taught in schools
My hearing aids. I am lucky enough to live in a country where hearing aids are free, and I know that a lot of people do not have access to them like I do. That said, it warms my heart to see people with hearing aid accessories, brightly coloured aids, etc. Mine are bright blue, and I love showing them off!
The ability to mute people. Noisy environment? People being unkind? Switch the hearing aids off and BAM! No sound, no problem.
I am now legally required to say DEAFinitely instead of definitely for the rest of my life.
Why is there a BSL sign for a random, absurd word like this when there’s not an official way to say ‘non-binary’ or ‘they/them’ or even the word ‘pronoun’?
BSL, get with it. I can’t even identify myself in this language. There isn’t even a gender-neutral way to say ‘sibling’ or ‘parent.’
Frankly, I’m not enjoying learning BSL and I’m a little bitter that I have to because I’m deaf and need to talk to other humans. This language is absurd.
I just wish Hearing and neurotypical people tried listening to the groups they’re trying to “help” before they do this. Ironically, Hearing people are the worst listeners I’ve ever come across.
Saw that you are learning Swedish. How it’s going? Has a specific reason why you’re learning?
(M’s really like languages, it’s really fun for him to learn)
- @areynobodytoo
oh I just love languages and I'm really into a Swedish heavy metal band called Sabaton right now so it sparked my interest.
I'm also doing German (just for fun) and I learned some basic French in school, which I like to practice sometimes.
I'd also love to learn Gàidhlig (aka Scottish Gaelic) as I live in Scotland.
The languages I actually use every day are just English and some basic BSL (mostly single signs, or a combination of two or three signs, for example "dinner eat what?").