Is American Sign Language a ‘foreign’ language?

~ Ed

On many college campuses, it is, but to some, it doesn’t make the cut, sparking a fierce debate about the nature of culture and language itself

Twenty students are holding several animated small-group discussions, but no one in this Northern Illinois University classroom utters a word.

Their fingers weave in complex patterns as they converse in American Sign Language, which theuniversity has declared an official foreign language.

To the students, the new label is fitting: They say that American Sign Language is distinct from spoken English and that its coursework provides a new perspective akin to the cultural immersion they’d experience in French, Spanish or other traditional language classes.

“It shapes how you view the world around you,” said Christine Theobold, a sophomore from Streamwood who is taking the most advanced sign class at NIU. “I guess it’s how you view the word ‘foreign.'”

But the practice of awarding foreign language credit for American Sign Language…

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Published by Ed

I am a husband and a father of 3 who's been theologically asleep at the wheel for far too long. In the coming days, weeks, months, and years as I wake up theologically I will be diving deeper into my bible, my life, and the life of Christ in me. This blog will serve as a record of my efforts, my trips, and my failures along this path to and around reforming my theology.