The Advantages Of Sign Language

Sign Language is not just a random collection of gestures... it is a full-blown Language in its own right, complete with its own grammatical rules. Each country or region has its own sign Language, as different from each other as English is from Spanish. Each version of sign language is somewhat linked to the spoken language in its region. For example, American sign language does share similarities with English, even though it is its own language.

Sign language is not based on sentences like English, but on phrases and ideas. When translating sign language into English, for example, some words will have a direct translation. Others find no adequate translation for the true meaning, just like translating Japanese to English, or English to Arabic.

The written history of sign language begins in France in the 18th century. Charles-Michel de l'Epee founded the first ever public school for deaf children. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet founded the first American school for the deaf in 1817, and his son, Edward Miner Gallaudet, founded the first and only liberal arts college in the world for the deaf in 1857. In 1864, its name became Gallaudet University, and it remains the only such school of higher learning in the world today.

In any sign language, the words are made in gestures and expression, rather than sounds and letters. Expressions are just as important as the gestures. They build upon the meaning of the gestures to convey more information than the gestures could alone.

In some ways, sign language is better than the spoken word... communication can occur in areas where speaking is not appropriate (in places of worship or while hunting), not allowed (in recording studios or other places where speaking is disruptive) or physically impossible (underwater, or in places that are too loud to hear speech).

The advantages of knowing sign language in addition to a spoken language are many. Communication becomes possible on many levels with the deaf community, with other people either hearing or not in any of the above situations, as well as many more.

Being able to serve the deaf community may also increase your business. Approximately 22 out of every 1000 persons is deaf or hearing impaired.

You may even meet a new best friend that you never would have tried to communicate with before you learned sign language.

Teaching your baby sign language can decrease frustration for both you and your baby, and increase parent-child bonding. The possibilities are endless when you increase your means of communication.

Five Advantages of Learning a Foreign Language

To attempt to do something new, many times we need to understand the benefits as well as the advantages of doing it. When it comes to learning a foreign Language how quickly we develop our learning skills can directly relate back to how we feel about the benefits we will receive. In this article we want to take a look at a few advantages of learning a foreign Language and the benefits of doing it.

1. Depending where you are in your career you may be looking for business advantages in the foreign language that you are trying to learn. If your job requires you to travel overseas then there may be specific languages that you need to learn depending on where you travel.

For example, if you are traveling to Europe, you may need to know the French language. If your business travels take you to Mexico or south, learning Spanish may be important to you. There are many benefits that can be obtained from being able to speak a foreign language in the career that you have.

2. Only one out of 12 people in this world speak the English language, yet, over half of all Internet visitors speak English. For this reason there are many benefits of learning a foreign language if you wish to communicate online.

3. If you are into Internet e-commerce you may need to translate your website into multiple languages. If you do e-mail marketing, and you know that one out of two visitors speak English, you need to become fluid at writing grammatically correct email messages.

4. To realize the advantages of learning a foreign language, you may have to take language courses. This could involve immersing yourself in the language, and culture you are trying to learn. Language lessons are available online for any language that you are willing to learn.

5. If you like to travel there are many benefits to learning a foreign language. Being able to speak more than one language can come in handy when you are in an airport, ordering at a restaurant, asking for directions, or even ordering room service at a hotel in the country are visiting.

This is five different advantages of learning a foreign language. You may be able to come up with a list of your own that features different benefits to you personally. You never know when you may need a foreign language to help you out, and you will be glad that you took the time to learn it.