Does anyone ever consider learning sign language not because they can't speak, but just because sometimes they don't want to? Or don't feel up to it? #ActuallyAutistic@actuallyautistic
We have a sound board we like for that purpose more, but we've learned a few signs [Yes/No, Please/Thank You, Can You Repeat That] for when we just want to react quick without having to pull it out.
I wanted to study it at one time because I was intrigued by how powerful it is. It has a pretty different grammar, so for deaf people who grew up signing, ours is in fact a foreign language.
Spoken language is linear. Everything you describe can only be lined up one after the other.
Sign language can describe several things at once. In space and time, so it’s four-dimensional. Not an easy thing to learn.
Up till recently my husband taught at a school for the Deaf. He learned sign language. It's quite challenging to learn as an adult, but also fascinating.
I'd be more inclined to use text to communicate if I can't speak. Mostly because almost no one I know understands sign language so it won't help me communicate