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?
In: Other
The signs are very culture dependent. For instance the sign for eating in most of the western world is putting your fingers together and move them towards your mouth. But in some Asian countries the sign for eating is stretching your index and middle finger together like chopsticks. Same for thesign for bullshit, which is literally making one hand like a little cow with horns while other hand resembles the cow pooping. In any other language that doesn’t mean anything other than a cow pooping.
If you give them a universal language, next thing you know they’re building the tower of babel.
Why isn’t there a universal spoken language? No one made the unilateral decision it was a good idea to have several. Deaf people just started figuring out how to communicate with each other.
Sign language develops naturally like any other spoken language. So when you figure out why there is no universal spoken language, then you will have answered your question.
A bit off topic, but the Native Americans of North America actually did invent such a thing. People of different languages and cultures throughout North America could communicate via a system of hand gestures. It was called Plains Indian Sign Language: [https://www.futilitycloset.com/2023/12/08/hand-talk/](https://www.futilitycloset.com/2023/12/08/hand-talk/)
I won’t repeat the abundance of answers here, but I will say that when I was watching “Kung Fu Hustle”, I was able to understand all the signs the deaf girl used, and I only know American Sign Language. Much of ASL uses letter signs as part of other signs. Like “V” in “Save”, or “L” in “Lazy”.
But in the movie, she used signs that don’t use letter signs in them and I was surprised by the similarities. BTW, she signed, “I remember you. You helped me. I think you’re beautiful.” (Paraphrasing from memory)
I’ve often told my deaf wife that there should be a universal sign language. People could learn it alongside their spoken language. At the very least, a simple version of one for basic communication. It’s useful when communicating great distances or in a noisy environment.
The American sign language sign for “bull shit” is crossing your arms with one hand making the bull horn symbol while the other hand clenches and releases a fist like it’s dropping something. This hand gesture is meant to literally symbolize a bull shitting.
In English, the phrase “bullshit” means something that is an outrageous and obvious lie. If you weren’t familiar with the phrase and you looked up the words, you would get the definition of a cow pooping. You wouldn’t understand why when I lie someone would say cow poop (maybe in context you would understand, but you see my point).
Each language has phrases that change over time and don’t well. So an American word translated into american sign language would not translate at all in another language and vice versa. Each language also has its own form of Grammer and word structure. Essentially, each language does need its own form of sign language.
However, there is a constructed language called Esperanto, which was created in the late 1800s with the intention of being an international language. It borrowed common words from different languages and had a simple Grammar structure without exceptions. The idea was that instead of everyone learning each others language, we should all learn Esperanto to talk to each other, since that would be easier. It never took off in the main stream but you can still learn it today, there are several million speakers. In the 1970, they developed Gestuno, which was like Esperanto but with hand symbols. Like the spoken language, it borrowed common gestures from other sign languages and constructed a simple second language with the intention of bridging the gap.
It’s like how there isn’t a universal spoken language. Different cultures in different regions express ideas, emotions and actions differently, it would’ve been hard to find one set of sign language that can incorporate it all. Like how English speakers don’t have a specific term for deja vu (French) or hikikomori (Japanese). Those concepts and many others would be hard to stuff into one universal language. IMO of course.
I recently started learning ASL, the first thing the book goes over is history of sign language. It made me consider this same question you posed, but brought up a good point of “theres more than one verbal language right? Why would there only be one sign language”
Also sign language isnt just “<spoken language> with hands”, its a whole unique thing with its own grammar and what not.
And the various sign languages all have unique things related to the cultures that made them, its not like people are willing to stop all other verbal langages because english should replace everything.
As others have said, most sign languages were developed in a time where communication across continent were difficult. To add to that reason, not all languages were artificially (in lack of a better word) developed to help deaf people, some have been developed spontaneously by deaf people themselves.
That’s the case of the Nicaraguan sign language that was created in a deaf community center around 1970. The teachers were trying to teach them sign spelling but failed. So the kids developed sign language on their own, with its own grammar and vocabulary https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicaraguan_Sign_Language
Latest Answers