sign language

Not having any real exposure to sign language growing up, I held the belief, which is probably common among hearing people, that all sign language is the same. I did know that American Sign Language varied somewhat from other types for other countries, but that's about it. However, this week in class we discussed regional dialects and how they pertain to sign language, as well. Now that I think about it, it makes perfect sense; of course people who live in different parts of the country will express themselves differently and develop distinct patterns of communication. I wonder how much these differences in signs affects understanding between two people of different regions. My brother went to college at Rochester Institute of Technology where there is a fairly large deaf population, so he became interested in sign language. He said that there is a theatre at the school for deaf students; the entire process, including the tech work behind the scenes, can be done.

Sign language fascinates me because I am accustomed to having hundreds and hundreds of words at the tip of my tongue to describe any possible sensation or thought, while I feel like sign language is limited in the variety of signs that are possible. But I don't think deaf people are at any disadvantage in communication; I just do not have any way of completely understanding sign language because I will probably always rely on spoken words.