Dear MEL Topic Readers,
How is sign language adapting to climate change?
Sign language is a visual and gestural form of communication used by
deaf individuals and those with hearing impairments. Instead of using spoken
words and sounds, sign language relies on hand movements, facial expressions,
body postures, and other non-verbal cues to convey meaning. Just like spoken
languages, sign languages are fully developed languages with their own
grammatical rules and vocabulary, and there are many different sign languages
around the world, such as American Sign Language (ASL), British Sign Language
(BSL), and Chinese Sign Language (CSL). Even though deaf individuals usually
learn to read and write in their native or dominant written language, they may
face unique challenges in communicating new scientific terms that aren’t in the
glossary, such as biodiversity and carbon footprint. So, BSL has added about
7,000 new signs over the last 15 years to its glossary and provided an online video
glossary to demonstrate them. It makes deaf people communicate more easily than
finger-spelling words with many letters like greenhouse gasses or photosynthesis
with sign language and helps deaf children learn science in their natural
language.
Enjoy reading the article and learn about how sign language helps deaf
people learn and communicate better.
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