American Sign Language between the Deaf and Hearing World

    When communicating between English and ASL, people use interpreters. They help interpret spoken words from the hearing community into signs for the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities. 

    American Sign Language is the most common language for people who are deaf and hard-of-hearing in America. It also differs a lot from English. ASL is a language completely separate and distinct from English. The article "American Sign Language" discusses how: "It contains all the fundamental features of language, with its own rules for pronunciation, word formation, and word order...For example, English speakers may ask a question by raising the pitch of their voices and by adjusting word order; ASL users ask a question by raising their eyebrows, widening their eyes, and tilting their bodies forward" (American Sign Language). Not only is ASL very visual, and it also can change based on the location. Just like how people have different accents depending on if they're from the South or up North, ASL is the same way. The same words in English can be signed in different ways based on where you learned the word. 

    


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