Sign Language Yes We Can
We think Sign Language is difficult because we divide life into cubicles: we, the hearing people and them, the deaf community.
Nature is superior to us because it is interconnected. It’s a circle. There is spring, summer, fall and winter. All four understand they should give each other right of way. We would learn Sign Language faster if we regard it as part of life period, and certain signs demonstrate that.
Children: this sign reminds me of how we tell kids to sit down. They understand, without parents saying a word.
Kid: I find this sign amusing because it reflects how kids have running noses.
Babies: babies are fragile so we hold them delicately, and Sign Language reflects just that.
Eat: we put food in the mouth, so you can relate to the ‘eat’ sign.
Love: the ‘love’ sign is self-explanatory and doesn’t need an Einstein to understand.
Age: I find the ‘age’ sign amusing and I can never forget it because the hand touches the chin to show a beard.
Driving: How do we handle the steering wheel? Yes, that’s the sign.
Family: It’s a wonderful sign which shows people coming together, with the letter ‘F’.
Sign Language is do-able. We can. Yes, we can learn it, provided we recognize that we sign unconsciously all the time and that kids understand our body language.
Example. One kid was causing chaos at a store. He was in a grocery cart and I was behind him and his mother. I looked at him with a ‘behave’ look and he stopped. Poor thing, he kept glancing back to check if I was still frowning.
By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.
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