The most commonly used Sign Language among the adult deaf community is American Sign Language, or ASL. ASL is the "native tongue" for the deaf in the US and English-speaking parts of Canada.
ASL Syntax Very Different from English
Structurally different from spoken English, ASL utilizes hand shape, orientation (facing direction), placement, and movement, along with facial expression and body language. Sentence structure is far more abbreviated than English, bypassing filler words like “is” or “the”. On his ASL University website, Dr. Bill Vicars, Assistant Professor of ASL and Deaf Studies at Sacramento State University and owner of Lifeprint.com describes the ASL syntax as ‘TIME’ + ‘TOPIC’ + ‘COMMENT.’ For example: 'WEEK-PAST ME WASH CAR .'
ASL was developed in the 19th Century by Thomas Gallaudet, of Philadelphia, and Laurent Clerc, of La Balme, France. Pulling from French and other sources, ASL has evolved and developed into a living, separate language that is today said to be the fourth most utilized language in the United States.
Signed Exact English Helps Deaf Children Learn to Read
Signed Exact English (SEE) was developed in the early 1970’s to better enable deaf students to learn English. In his paper, “The Efficacy of SEE, An Annotative Bibliography of SEEII and Related Research” 1998, Dr. B. Leutke Stallman cites numerous studies that show the advantage SEEII gives to students in other academic facets. Several of those studies shows that students who learn Signed Exact English show no appreciable difference in the reading ability of hearing impaired students who use SEE and students with no such impairment.
Pidgin Combines English Syntax with ASL Signs
Pidgin Signed English, as any spoken “pidgin”, is rather a cross between two other languages; in this case, American Sign Language and Signed Exact English. Combining many signs from ASL with sentence structure closer to English, PSE is used primarily by hearing signers whose first language is English. According to the Hearing Loss Association of North Carolina, “Culturally Deaf people are usually very adept at understanding and using this blend of English and ASL when they sign with someone who doesn't strictly use ASL.”
Rochester Method Uses FingerSpelling Only
The Rochester Method, named after the Rochester School for the Deaf in upstate New York, combines fingerspelling with speech, but isn’t widely used any more.
Stephen P. Quigley is the author of numerous books and papers on Deafness and Language development. In his paper, “The Influence of Fingerspelling on the Development of Language, Communication, and Educational Achievement in Deaf Children” Rehabilitation Services Administration, 1969, Quigley cites two studies performed at six deaf schools, including Rochester. He states, “The experimental study also indicated that those using the Rochester Method exceeded the others on reading, written language, and speechreading abilities. It was thus concluded that the Rochester Method can lead to higher scholastic achievement, need not deter acquisition of oral skills, and is more beneficial when started with younger children.”
In the 1970‘s, ASL was recognized nationally as a legitimate, living language. Rochester disappeared from the classrooms and faded into history.
For signing students today, the choice is easy. SEE is saved primarily for the classroom. Pidgin is a hybrid that is not generally taught in schools. For those wishing to learn to sign and communicate with Deaf people in the United States, American Sign Language is accepted, recognized, evolving (as any modern language does), and readily available.
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