Know About Sign Language

Origins of Hong Kong Sign Language;

With lip movements, facial expressions and body movements working together to express meaning, sign language has become one of the commonly used media of communication adopted by hearing-impaired groups. In different countries, local sign languages have evolved as a result of developments in social and cultural backgrounds. At present, hundreds of sign languages are in use in hearing-impaired communities around the world.

Hong Kong Sign Language is mainly derived from Chinese Sign Language. The sign language in China is divided into the variety used in the south, such as in Guangzhou; and that used in the north, such as in Beijing. In the 1950s some people from Shanghai started schools for hearing-impaired children in Hong Kong – the Overseas Chinese School for the Deaf and Hiu Chong School for the Deaf.

Since the handover, as more contacts are being made and closer ties forged between Hong Kong and the Mainland, Hong Kong Sign Language has become more heavily influenced by the sign language in the Mainland.

Varieties of Sign Language

This is the medium of communication being used by the majority of severe-to-profound hearing-impaired persons. All natural sign languages have a unique syntax, so that even though sign languages in different communities have their own conventional syntax rules, hearing-impaired communities in different localities can still communicate with each other through sign language because natural sign language is strongly pictographic and ideographic.

It is also known as grammatical sign language, and as Chinese Sign Language in Hong Kong. At the present school it is known as Sign-supported Chinese. It is a mode of communication used by hearing people in Hong Kong whereby speech and signs are used at the same time. The syntax used is similar to that of spoken Chinese.

It is variously known as the manual alphabet, spelling sign language, phonetic sign language, or writing through finger spelling in different countries. In some countries, words and phrases can be shown through the use of finger spelling. Borrowings from the American manual alphabet have been incorporated into Hong Kong Sign Language. However, as people in the streets do not know how to spell Cantonese, Chinese words and phrases cannot be finger-spelt.

Patterns in the Creation of Signs

1. Simulation - Signs that simulate the appearance of things, such as "Aircraft", "Boat"

Aircraft

Boat

2. Mimicry - Signs that imitate the movement or action of doing something, such as "Take a picture", "Eat "

Take a picture

吃飯

3. Iconicity - Signs that borrow the shapes of Chinese characters, such as "People", "Workers", "King"

People (Chinese:人)

Workers (Chinese:工)

King (Chinese:王)

4. Metaphor - Signs that represent ideas or concepts, for example, "Learning", "Forget"

Learning

Forget

“Which hands to use when signing

When we sign, we tent to use the dominant hand, that is, the hand used for writing and holding chopsticks, particularly when the sign is a single-handed sign. When some signs call for the use of both hands, as in the case of two-handed signs, the dominant hand is active, while the other hand, the base hand, is passive or motionless.

Things to note about signing

Many signs involve the same hand shapes and movements, but in different locations. Misunderstanding occurs when a sign is placed in an erroneous location. 'Aromatic' and 'Swimming' involve the same hand shape and movement, but in different locations.

Aromatic

Swimming

The way a feeling is expressed is a part of sign language, and appropriate expressions can help hearing-impaired persons understand what is being imparted more clearly. For example, the hand shape and movements for "pleased" and "elated" are the same, except that an exaggerated expression underlies the degree of happiness in 'elated'.

Pleased

Elated

Another example is 'exasperated' and 'angry'.

Exasperated

Angry

While the hand shapes for many vocabulary items look very much the same, they may mean very differently. For example, the hand shape for ‘Love' and 'Rest' are similar but the meaning being expressed is different.

Love

Rest

In order to convey an exact message in signing, attention must be paid to the direction of movement. For example, in "One Week" and "Silence", as in the following illustrations, the hand shape is the same but in different directions.

One week

Silence

Another example is "I helped you" and "You helped me":

I helped you

You helped me

Shopping mall

Gossip

Attention must be paid to the speed of movements so that they can be clearly and comfortably seen. It is just the same when hearing people speak. Speaking too fast risks being not clearly heard, while too slowly puts listeners to sleep. Maintaining eye contact while signing is important as it indicates that the interlocutors are talking to each other. The degree a communication is being understood may also be discerned from one’s gaze and expressions.