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Maida Ahmad

Mrs. Corbett

1st Period/ AP Literature

11/17/2011

Senior Project Research Paper: American Sign Language

American Sign Language (ASL) is a complicated language spoken through intricate signs

made by one’s hands blended with a variety of facial expressions, body positions, and other

gestures. The language is most commonly used by the deaf population in North America and is

the major communication alternative for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Since ASL is seen as an

authentic and definite language, it has many variations, just like other languages do, such as

French and Spanish. There is no single form of sign language that is universal because each

variation of sign language is unique to its specific region. ASL is an exceptional form of

communication and beneficial to an enormous part of the population. Its origin, present

conditions, future expectations, and overall impact are quite extraordinary and eye-opening.

Although it is not certain where ASL originated, it is true that it came to be more than

200 years ago from the unification of local sign languages and French Sign Language (LSF).

The modern day ASL has been influenced by both LSF and local sign languages and their merge

has created a deep, elaborate, and complete language. Although similar to spoken languages,

sign language also significantly differs from them in a variety of forms. Simona Damian from

Galileo Academic Search Premier reinforces the fact that “just like spoken languages, sign

languages are merged with the culture of the Deaf communities” (“Spoken vs. Sign Languages –

What’s the Difference?”). There is no severe discrimination between the two types of languages,

but there is one major boundary separating the two. Spoken languages are understood through

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ears, while sign languages are understood through eyes. Although minor solutions are present,

this difference restricts the deaf and hearing from communicating without any complexity. From

a physical perspective, sign language uses more energy and provides more exhaustion than

spoken languages. Nevertheless, both spoken languages and sign languages strive to complete

the same task, which is make conversation possible for all people.

Sign language has truly impacted many different cultures and lives who struggled with

the exchange of dialogue. However, sign language was not only created for the goal of easing

communication hardships. Some members of diverse cultures take vows of silence and secrecy,

which drives them to learn a language that doesn’t require any spoken words. According to Gale

Discovering Collection, “members of religious orders sworn to silence often rely on simple

gestures rather than a coded system to communicate with one another” (“Sign Language”).

Because of sign language’s current benefit to such an abundant population in the world, more

people are beginning to take a sincere fascination in the language.

Several experts believe that sign language can also be used to communicate with animals.

For example, since chimpanzees cannot speak the same language as humans, experts supposed it

would be possible to teach them to hold a conversation through hand motions and body

language. MAS Ultra – School Edition explains that “as a scientific experiment conducted by

Columbia University professor Herbert Terrace, baby Nim was initially raised by a surrogate

‘mother,’ Stephanie Lafarge, who lived with her husband and three children in a Manhattan

apartment” (“Of Chimps and Humans”). Nim, a baby chimpanzee, was taught to communicate

through sign language as a part of Project Nim. He was not capable of creating sentences, but

that is only because his motivation to do so was not significantly great. If Nim wished, he could

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have produced complex sentences because he was a very intelligent animal, considering he

understood all the sign language he was exposed to.

An estimated 12 out of every 1,000 people with hearing impairment become deaf under

the age of 18. Because of this, it is encouraged for children to learn sign language in their very

early ages. Since children cannot easily communicate with others, teaching them sign language

wouldn’t require them to speak. All they would have to do is make signs with their hands,

something that is seen as simpler and less challenging. Referring to the National Institute on

Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, “research suggests that the first few years of life

are the most crucial to a child’s development of language skills, and even the early months of life

can be important for establishing successful communication” (“American Sign Language”).

There has also been an incredible nationwide ASL boom, and although no one knows

what exactly caused it, the amount of students enrolled in sign language classes in higher

education institutions escalated 432 percent between 1998 and 2002, and has since continued to

climb. Because of this overwhelming statistic, an increase in interpreters is occurring, which is

benefitting the deaf community tremendously. According to Middle Search Plus, interpreters

enjoy their jobs thoroughly but “what complicates matters is the need to transmit the intent of the

speaker, in all its intellectual and emotional dimensions” (“Everywhere a Sign”). In a spoken

language, emotion is identified through the pitch and tone of spoken words, along with the

enunciation of specific words. Likewise, sign language consists of heightened pronunciations of

certain signs and corresponding facial expressions.

Many people that are deaf have the challenging decision to make of whether a public

school or deaf school would more appropriately fit them. With over 50,000 deaf children in the

United States, there is a risk the hearing impaired will receive less educational opportunities.

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Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context states that “historically, approaches to educating children

who are deaf have been based on emotion and personal philosophy rather than positive outcome;

in contrast, the education of children who are hard of hearing has largely been ignored”

(“Hearing Impairment”). Every deaf child in the United States should be allowed a free and

proper education and strong support system without any unfairness.

It is a fact that the nation has become more visual and therefore, depends and prefers to

sign rather than speak. ASL is considered beautiful; it is like an intricate dance with a deep

meaning and fascinating background. According to U.S. News & World Report, “harnessing the

power of movement can make communication more expressive and even more precise; it's the

physical nature of ASL that makes it an appealing language for a range of ages” (“Learn Sign

Language”). The elaborate hand movements and dramatic facial expressions makes ASL more

attractive to young adults than other languages, such as French and Spanish. What many people

do not understand, however, is that sign language has a very specialized syntax structure and

organization. Just because sign language is not spoken does not mean that it is easier to learn and

understand.

Hearing impairment can stretch from very subtle to permanent loss, which can also be

called deafness. There are many different forms of hearing loss and Brian Douglas Hoyle from

Gale Virtual Reference Library confirms that “some conditions that can be addressed by surgery

or the use of a hearing aid or an implant have varying levels of recovery; other conditions

involving permanent deafness cannot be cured” (“Hearing Disorders”). No lasting solution is

present for hearing loss, so many people turn to ASL as a last resort. No matter what the outcome

of a surgery or treatment, it is crucial for people to learn sign language so they can communicate

without difficulty afterwards. Hearing loss occurs worldwide to both genders of all ages and

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races. The assortment of hearing disorders consist of a reduction in the capability to distinguish

particular frequencies of sound, a ringing or other peculiar noise that is not connected to any

authentic external sound, damage caused by physical trauma or severe infection, and hereditarily

determined structural deformity.

In 1861, Paul Broca, a famous French neurologist, made a very significant discovery that

changed lives all over the world. According to Student Research Center, Paul Broca “discovered

that patients who could understand spoken language but had difficulty speaking tended to have

damage to a part of the brain's left hemisphere that became known as Broca's area. In 1874

German physician Carl Wernicke found that patients with fluent speech but severe

comprehension problems typically had damage to another part of the left hemisphere, which was

dubbed Wernicke's area” (“Sign Language in the Brain”). Both Paul Broca and Carl Wernicke

were curious about how it was possible for the hearing-impaired to comprehend language in the

same way the people capable of hearing understood it, without listening to any words or triggers.

After completing many experiments and researching everything relevant to the topic, they finally

answered their questions, although some puzzles still remained unsolved.

Sign language assists in successfully developing an identity for a deaf child. According to

Galileo Literary Resource Center, from exposure to sign language, deaf children “know how to

recognize and participate in Deaf culture, especially through sign language, and can interpret the

surrounding world in a way that is compatible with their experience as Deaf people. All Deaf

people need help being socialized into the Deaf community, and they often find this guidance in

Deaf clubs, from Deaf role models or, rarely, from Deaf teachers” (“The Role of Sign Language

Narratives in Developing Identity for Deaf Children”). Sign language is used as something all

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deaf and hearing-impaired people can have in common and can use to hold conversations with

each other.

In conclusion, sign language is a unique language with complex gestures, remarkable

movements, and a specific organization and structure. It is something that binds the deaf and

hearing-impaired community together. ASL is a crucial option for them and it improves lives

tremendously. Although difficult to learn, just like every other language is, it is worth the effort

and strength. It takes a while to become fluent in sign language, but once fluent, one can perform

as an interpreter and work with others who are determined to learn ASL. With the hearing

impairment rate increasing dramatically, there is no better time to expand sign language over all

age groups, genders, and races. Sign language is part of an exceptional and highly distinctive

linguistic culture, expressing emotions and words through tiny gestures of one’s hands.

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Works Cited

Battey, James F, Jr. “American Sign Language.” NIDCD: National Institute on Deafness and

Other Communication Disorders. National Institutes of Health, 4 Feb. 2011. Web. 17

Oct. 2011. <http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/ health/ hearing/ pages/ asl.aspx>. Although many

would assume that American Sign Language is a universal language, there are many

different versions of the language. For example, not only is there American Sign

Language (ASL), but also British Sign Language (BSL), French Sign Language (FSL),

and much more.

Cohn, Jessica. “Everywhere a Sign.” Middle Search Plus. Career World, Sept. 2008. Web. 17

Oct. 2011. <http://search.ebscohost.com/ login.aspx?

direct=true&db=mih&AN=34474211&site=src-live.>. An astonishing twenty-eight

million Americans are deaf or hearing impaired, according to the National Association of

the Deaf. That group of people makes up an unbelievable 10 percent of the U.S.

population that requires assistance in easily accessing education, health services, and

more.

Dalebout, Susan, Elizabeth A Martinez, and Daniel P Hallahan. “Hearing Impairment.” Gale

Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Encyclopedia of Education, 2002. Web. 13 Nov. 2011.

<http://ic.galegroup.com/ ic/ ovic/ ReferenceDetailsPage/ ReferenceDetailsWindow?

displayGroupName=Reference&disableHighlighting=false&prodId=OVIC&action=e&w

indowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE

%7CCX3403200286&mode=view&userGroupName=cant48040&jsid=06f2de36747ccad

b799d6eaa3270fc10>. Because hearing loss can be both slight and extremely severe, sign

language is essential for all types of situations that can cause difficulty in communication.

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There are also many significant school options offered so that equality is reinforced for

all types of children.

Damian, Simona. “Spoken vs. Sign Languages - What’s the difference?” Academic Search

Premier. Ed. Romanian Association for Cognitive Scienc. Galileo EBSCOhost, June

2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2011.

<http://proxygsu-sche.galileo.usg.edu/ login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/ login.aspx?

direct=true&db=a9h&AN=61466633&site=ehost-live>. Although all languages should

be seen as similar because of each one’s intricate organization and complex structures,

there are significant differences between spoken languages and sign language. For one,

out of the abundant amount of countries in the world, only a select few offer and support

equal opportunities for the deaf community to create their own linguistic point of view.

Hallett, Vicky. “Learn Sign Language.” Middle Search Plus. U.S. News & World Report, 31

Dec. 2007. Web. 17 Oct. 2011. <http://search.ebscohost.com/ login.aspx?

direct=true&db=mih&AN=28024629&site=src-live.>. Similar to French and other

spoken languages, American Sign Language consists of a complex grammatical structure

that needs to be understood. Instead of struggling with perfecting one’s accent, however,

the challenge of ASL is to incorporate the uses of facial expressions and body language.

Hoyle, Brian Douglas. “Hearing Disorders.” Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale Cengage

Learning, 2005. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. <http://go.galegroup.com/ ps/ i.do?id=GALE

%7CCX3435200164&v=2.1&u=cant48040&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w>. One treatment the

deaf and hearing impaired experience is learning sign language. Although the language

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doesn’t cure the person’s disability, it makes it easier for the person to communicate with

others if financial problems for more options are present.

Lucia, Cynthia, and Dan Lybarger. “Of Chimps and Humans.” MAS Ultra - School Edition.

Cineaste, Summer 2011. Web. 17 Oct. 2011. <http://search.ebscohost.com/ login.aspx?

direct=true&db=ulh&AN=60962840&site=src-live.>. This article clarifies the fact that

anyone can be taught to communicate. Although Nim, the chimpamzee, was placed in an

unfamiliar and complicated environment, he was taught to use sign language to

communicate and express himself. ASL led Nim to abandon his wild and unruly nature

for a more organized and calm persona.

“Sign Language.” Discovering Collection. Ed. Kimberley A McGrath and Bridget Travers.

Gale, 2006. Web. 30 Apr. 2006. <http://find.galegroup.com/ srcx/ infomark.do?

&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T001&prodId=DC&docId=EJ1647500700&

source=gale&srcprod=DISC&userGroupName=cant48040&version=1.0>. Sign language

has had a large impact on the deaf community. Before the discovery of sign language, the

hearing impaired were simply not educated. However, the deaf have mastered the depth

and complexity of sign language, which is one of the most intricate languages in the

world.

“Sign Language in the Brain.” Student Research Center. EBSCOhost, Aug. 2002. Web. 13 Nov.

2011. <http://search.ebscohost.com/ login.aspx?

direct=true&db=hxh&AN=10684233&site=src-live>. In the mid-19th century, scientists

made large strides towards understanding more thoroughly the regions of the brain

involved in speech. These studies led scientists to evaluate how the brain of someone

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who is hearing impaired can function and understand sign language through body

language.

Sutton-Spence, Rachel. “The Role of Sign Language Narratives in Developing Identity for Deaf

Children.” Literary Reference Center. Galileo EBSCOhost, Dec. 2010. Web. 13 Nov.

2011. <http://proxygsu-sche.galileo.usg.edu/ login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/

login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=59795579&site=ehost-live>. When deaf children

learn sign language, it is obvious that they are absorbing a whole new culture and identity

that will become an influential part of them.