Signed languages are incredibly fluid. Grammar order (more like English, or more quote-unquote 'pure' ASL style?), nouns and verbs (drive 100 miles in any direction, and at least some signs will be different with the locals), even 'accents' based on city, race, culture.
What's really amazing about it is that despite this, someone very fluent in Sign can usually communicate with locals very quickly, and pick up the local signs in a short time.
Although if the company isn't already plugged into the Deaf culture, I doubt that they will be able to exercise much control over what their own sign winds up being. It's easy to imagine a company creating a sign for themselves that's awkward and/or unnatural to use, simply out of ignorance (or because they're a special snowflake and the rules don't apply to them).
I'd have an interest in learning ASL but now that I'm abroad, it doesn't make much sense. There is a regional variant where I am but being an expat/nomad, that might not be a great idea to learn either. Even though I'm against there being an international language (ie, English), I really wouldn't mind a more robust ISL.
[+] [-] mabbo|11 years ago|reply
What's really amazing about it is that despite this, someone very fluent in Sign can usually communicate with locals very quickly, and pick up the local signs in a short time.
[+] [-] berodam|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] breadbox|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] personlurking|11 years ago|reply
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Sign
[+] [-] sigmar|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Mz|11 years ago|reply
“It’s almost like an open mic if you will,” Douglas communicated via interpreter over the phone, “I call it an open stage because we don’t use a mic