For Carl, the United States, this language is a gift of her deaf parents. Although deaf since birth, at a very early age was already able to define objects, connect with signs and express abstract thoughts in American Sign Language (ASL). Most parents of deaf children with deaf signers began to produce the first signs at 10 or 12 months. The book A Journey Into the Deaf-World (Journey into the Deaf world) explains that "the linguists now recognize that the ability to acquire a language naturally and to its transmission to their children is deeply rooted in the brain. It is quite immaterial whether the capacity is manifested by a language sign or spoken language. "
Sveta was born in Russia and belongs to a family of three generations of deaf people. Together with his brother, also deaf, has acquired the Russian language of signs. When three years was enrolled in a kindergarten for deaf children knew sign language to express oneself well. Sveta admits: "The other deaf children did not know sign language and learn from me." Many deaf children have hearing parents who did not know sign language. Often sign language has been passed down from deaf children to school in larger smaller ones, so that they could communicate with ease.
Today more and more parents learn the language of the deaf signs with their children. Consequently, these deaf children are able to communicate effectively before going to school. This is the case of Andrew, a Canadian whose parents are deaf, hard of hearing. They learned sign language and used it with him as a child, providing a linguistic basis on which he could build in subsequent years. Now all the family members can communicate with each other on any topic in sign language.
Deaf people are able to formulate thoughts, abstract and concrete, with no need to think in a spoken language. Just as each of us formulates thoughts in his own language, so many deaf people think in sign language.
variety of languages \u200b\u200b
Worldwide communities of deaf people have invented their own sign language or adopted elements of other sign languages. Part of today's vocabulary of ASL was taken 180 years ago by the French-language signs. These signs are then merged with those in use in the United States, giving rise to the current ASL. Sign languages \u200b\u200bdevelop over many years and are improved from generation to generation.
normally sign languages \u200b\u200bdo not follow the trend of socio-geographical spoken languages. In Puerto Rico, for example, using the ASL, even if you speak English. Although both England and the United States will speak English, the first using the English language of signs, that is ASL is very different. The Mexican sign language is different from many sign languages \u200b\u200bof Latin America.
When you study a language of signs, one is struck by its complexity and richness of expression. With sign language you can express almost all topics, thoughts and ideas. It is nice that there is a growing tendency to produce literature for the deaf on videotape, using a natural language of signs to tell stories, recite poems, describing historical events and teach the biblical truth. In many countries, literacy in the sign language is increasing.
Many educational centers for deaf children throughout the world have discovered the benefits using sign language since the time the child begins to develop his language ability. (See the boxes on pages 20 and 22). They found that communicating with the deaf child as a child in a natural language of signs and developing a foundation language you will set the stage for increased academic performance, for better social integration, and also for the subsequent acquisition of a written language.
A commission of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) on education of the deaf said: "It is no longer permissible to neglect the sign language or not to promote it in educational programs for the deaf. " It must be said, however, that whatever choice parents make for their deaf child in education, is of utmost importance to the full participation of both.
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