Report to the People
9th October 2006
No
Need to Shout
Why
is it, when normally intelligent people speak to the hard of hearing, they
become like the worst sort of British tourist trying to communicate with a
Spanish waiter?
"WHERE…"
they bellow, while making the shape of a globe with their hands, "DO…
YOU…", pointing vigorously then drawing the outline of a house in the
air, "LIVE?".
But,
as MSPs were reminded during last week’s debate highlighting Learn to Sign
Week, British Sign Language, or BSL, is more than a load of gestures accompanied
by shouting. It’s a complete
language in its own right. Indeed,
for many of the quarter of a million people in Scotland with communication
difficulties, it is their first language.
Should
we not, then, try to dispense with the amateur dramatics and at least make an
attempt at speaking a language on which a substantial section of our community
relies?
Learn
to Sign Week aims to do just that, with the British Deaf Association campaigning
throughout the UK to encourage the public to join in, have fun and learn BSL. They’re
not suggesting we should all become fluent, but we could start by learning a few
useful words or phrases. Not only
would it let you communicate better with the deaf community, you could use it
anywhere verbal communication is difficult: in a noisy pub or club, a hushed
library, or across a train platform.
So,
if you’ve been thinking it’s about time you learned a second language, log
on to http://www.learntosign.org.uk
for details.
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