Why isn’t there a universal sign language? One that everyone around the world could learn so that they would be understood no matter where they lived, or travelled to? Who decided it was a better idea to have more than one?
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Because sign language was developed before the world was as small as it is now. Multiple sign languages were developed on their own. Just like spoken languages.
Now everyone learns the sign language used where they are born, and it would be a pain to invent or learn a brand new one just so a deaf person in the US could hypothetically talk to a deaf person in China. Just like spoken languages.
Also, sign language changes and develops over time. So even if you start from the same language over time people are naturally going to develop dialects, and those dialects can become their own languages. …Just like spoken languages.
You could be asking the same question about spoken or written languages. And it’s the same answers.
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