GAC002 Assessment Event 1: Academic Research Essay

Sign Language: A Part Of Human

Language

Student’s Name: Jessica Renata

Student ID#: 20

Teacher: Rahajeng Ayu Habsari

Due Date: 30 April 2021

Word Count: 575

 GAC002 AE#1 Jessica Renata 20

Question: Deaf people are communicating with sign language. What is “Sign Language”?

Explain it by using facts, examples, anecdotes or other evidence to clarify this concept.

Sign language is a language that uses sign through hand gesture or other gestures, including facial

expressions and body postures that commonly used by deaf people. In facts this language is founded in

the 16th century and constantly developing until now, but sign language is not a universal language so it is

different in every country. However not all people know about sign language so that many people cannot

communicate with the deaf people.

First, the originate of sign language. This language is founded in the 16th century by Italian doctor named

Geranimo Cardano who choose to teach the deaf student by writing a several symbolic combinations and

associating them with the object they represent. Then in 1755, there was a French priest named Abbe

Charles Michel de L’Epée, invented a school for deaf people in Paris and he develop a form of

communication for them thru a system of gestures, hand signs, and finger spelling for easy

communication. Then after he studying existing signs and gestures used by deaf people, he improves his

system and finally become the sign language of the spoken language in Paris at that time. The L’Epée

system has also succeeded in pioneering modern French sign language. In 1816, Dr. Thomas Hopkins

adopted this system and the sign language continued to develop. (Sumangal)

30/4/2021 page 1

 GAC002 AE#1 Jessica Renata 20

Next, the facts about there are not universal sign language in this world. Every language in this world,

well its spoken or signed, is special and continually developing. Spoken language in every country are

different, same well as the signed language, it must be different in each country. The other reason is

language and culture are related so if there is a universal sign language, the language must be change

quickly in every country adjusting the existing culture in their country. Therefore, now we can find about

300 different sign languages worldwide which the most common languages are ASL (American Sign

Language), BSL (British Sign Language), and AUSLAN (Australian Sign Language). (Tscherneshoff

2018)

Finally, sign language is also an important language in this world. Even though that only 5% of the world

population are deaf, they also human beings who need to communicate with everyone to share what they

want, what is in their opinion, and they also have the same rights as those of us who are not deaf, they

should not be ignored. Therefore, this language is important for us to learn it to communicate with those

who have disabilities. Then if we learn sign language, we can show the deaf community that we care

about them and show them that they are not forgotten. (Berry 2016)

In conclusion, now we know that sign language is a language that uses sign through hand gesture or other

gestures, including facial expressions and body postures that commonly used by deaf people that founded

in the 16th century in France, but we can find about 300 different sign language around the world because

language and culture are related so sign language can be different in every country. Even though that sign

30/4/2021 page 2

 GAC002 AE#1 Jessica Renata 20

language was created for the deaf people, its still an important language, we have to learn this language to

communicate with the deaf people to know what they want or their opinions and to show them that we

care about them.

30/4/2021 page 3

 GAC002 AE#1 Jessica Renata 20

Reference list

Berry, H. (2016), The Importance of Sign Language, Bryant Archway [online]. Available at:
https://bryantarchway.com/the-importance-of-sign-language/ [Accessed 18 April 2021]

Deafness and hearing loss (2021), World Health Organization [online]. Available at:
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/deafness-and-hearing-loss [Accessed 19 April
2021]

Sign Language Alphabet from Around The World (2021), Ai-Media [online]. Available at:
https://www.ai-media.tv/sign-language-alphabets-from-around-the-world/ [Accessed 19 April
2021]

Sumangal, B. (2020), How did sign language originate, Pitara Kids’ Network [online]. Available at:
https://www.pitara.com/science-for-kids/5ws-and-h/how-did-sign-language-originate/ [Accessed
17 April 2021]

Tcherneshoff, K. (2018), Answering Your Most Common Question About Sign Language, Wikitongues
[online]. Available at:
https://medium.com/wikitongues/answering-your-most-common-questions-about-sign-languages-
d206bb06853c [Accessed 17 April 2021]

Why isn’t there a universal sign language? (2018), Deaf Bible Society [online]. Available at:
https://stories.deafbiblesociety.com/why-isnt-there-a-universal-sign-language/ [Accessed 17 April
2021]

30/4/2021 page 4