(no subject)

[deird1]

So, I knew that ASL had a different alphabet to Auslan. (Our alphabet is two-handed; ASL is one-handed.)

What I hadn't realised until today was that they have different numbers as well.

I looked up the ASL alphabet today, and found this:




As an Auslan person, that bottom row looks to me like:
0, 1, 2, 8, 4, 5, 3 ...followed by words I don't know.


No larger point. I just find it interesting that counting can be so different in different countries.

Comments

[velvetwhip]

Wow. That would make it challenging for American and Australian sign language users to communicate.


Gabrielle

[a2zmom]

That is fascinating. I was well aware that the alphabet was very different between different signing systems but I had no idea the numbers would be as well.

[beer_good_foamy]

Wait, the alphabet is two-handed? Huh. I barely know the basics of Swedish sign language, let alone any others, but I sort of took for granted that the alphabet is usually one-handed. Of course, with two hands you don't have to make up quite as many different shapes so it makes perfect sense, but still... huh.

Of course, the Swedish alphabet has to incorporate hand movements to get the umlauts in there:

[immer_am_lesen]

Wouldn't it be nice if sign language could be universal- the same signs the world over. :-)

[angelikitten]

Even just in BSL, the signs for numbers vary quite a bit. This sheet shows two of the systems used here, and the way I learned to sign numbers 20+ doesn't even make it onto the sheet.

[jesuswasbatman]

Last year, Doctor Who had a two-part story featuring a genuinely deaf actress playing a deaf character who used BSL only, and some American fans accused the show of making up random gestures to fake sign language.