8: Sign Languages: Communication in a Silent World

American Sign Language (ASL) is one of many sign languages used by people who are deaf. In fact, there are over 270 different sign languages, dialects, and sign systems used throughout the world (Harrington, 2006). Although some sign languages follow national boundaries, others do not.

In some countries, deaf people use different sign languages based on the region in which they live or the school they attend, and in other countries the deaf community may have a common sign language with a neighboring country. Sign languages are a powerful alternative literacy for people who are unable to hear. In fact, if we consider literacy, as defined in the Introduction to this book, as the knowledge of letters and the ability to read and write, it will become clear that without sign language(s), deaf people would probably have no pathway to becoming “literate” in the traditional sense at all. It is through sign language, which is the first language of most deaf people, that they are able to begin learning the written language of their native country.