Anne Witteman specialises in visual communication. She voices the inaudible and the silent.
Sign-language is a visible language. It has its own grammar, just like spoken languages do. It is not true that all countries use the same sign languages. Every country has its own. This is due to each language developing within a community where people are together and communicating. Since deaf people do not all live together but are divided all over the world in different deaf societies, each has developed their own sign language. Comparable to words from spoken languages existing out of small components (sounds), signs can endlessly be combined into different new words. This is proof that sign languages are real languages.
The parts of the signs are:
Place
Form of Hand
Orientation
Movement.
Just like spoken language, sign-language is ever changing and evolving. A few of the newer words for example are: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHpPKJ7GXoU
Sign language also a great way to learn more on your spoken language or country’s history.
The sign “Netherlands” comes from the hats Dutch soldiers wore in the 18th century.
Also, the names for cities tells us something more about the city itself. When talking about Nijmegen, you sign the Nijmeegse Vierdaagse. When talking about Rotterdam, you sign ‘boat’, which tells us that Rotterdam is the largest haven in Europe. When talking about Delft, we are signing the two bullet holes in the wall that is proof that Balthasar Gerards killed Willem of Orange.
Watch: Coming Out | muttandjeffpictures and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tKqFIJOuOE
The docu Anna’s Silent Struggle (53:03 minutes)
About a deaf Jewish woman who ended up in a camp and how she managed to hold her own there (in part because of her cousin who taught her to “not act deaf”).
I have already re-watched this docu, the interview with Andrew Solomon and the docu Deaf Child several times. Just really wonderful and impressive all of them.
Sign language evolves like all other languages.
