Sign Languages

The Man Who Taught a Gorilla to Lie

The story of Koko the gorilla is filled with moments of wonder, but none are as philosophically charged as the…

1 week ago

Writing Silence: The Quest for a Sign Language Script

How do you write a language that isn't spoken, but seen? This post explores the fascinating quest to create a…

2 weeks ago

How Do New Signs Get Created in ASL?

American Sign Language is a living, evolving system, not a static code. The process of creating new signs for modern…

2 weeks ago

The Art of Interrupting in Sign Language

In spoken language, interruption means talking over someone. But how do you interrupt in a visual language like ASL? We…

3 weeks ago

Australia’s Sign Language of the Plains

Discover Warlpiri Sign Language, a complete and complex language used not by the Deaf, but by the hearing Warlpiri community…

3 weeks ago

When a Community Has No Language

Before established sign languages, how did deaf children in isolation communicate? This post explores "home sign," the remarkable gestural systems…

3 weeks ago

How the Deaf See Music

Music is often considered an auditory experience, but for the Deaf community, it's a world felt through powerful vibrations and…

3 weeks ago

Speaking with Hands and Mouth

In central Australia, the Arandic peoples use a complex sign language alongside speech, a system developed for times when speech…

3 weeks ago

Island Sign: The Spontaneous Birth of a Language in Martha’s Vineyard

Long before Nicaraguan Sign Language became famous, another sign language emerged organically on Martha's Vineyard. Due to a high rate…

3 weeks ago

The Grammar of Silence: Why Sign Languages Are as Complex as Spoken Languages

Far from being simple pantomime, sign languages are a testament to the human brain's linguistic ingenuity. These visual-gestural systems possess…

3 weeks ago

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