LanguageStructured system of communicationA mural in Teotihuacan, Mexico (c. 2nd century) depicting a person emitting a speech scroll from his mouth, symbolizing speechA Cuneiform tabletChildren of deaf adults using American Sign LanguageBraille, a tactile writing systemLanguage is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary.
Natural languageA natural language or ordinary language is any spoken language or signed language used organically in a human community, first emerging without conscious premeditation and subject to: replication across generations of people in the community, regional expansion or contraction, and gradual internal and structural changes. The vast majority of languages in the world are natural languages.
Mutual intelligibilityComparing Danish and Norwegian languagesEnglishI love eating Danish meat and drinking Norwegian water.DanishJeg elsker at spise dansk kød og drikke norsk vand.NorwegianJeg elsker å spise dansk kjøtt og drikke norsk vann.Danish and Norwegian have a long history of interaction and share vocabulary, grammatical, and orthographic features.
Home signHome sign (or kitchen sign) is a gestural communication system, often invented spontaneously by a deaf child who lacks accessible linguistic input. Home sign systems often arise in families where a deaf child is raised by hearing parents and is isolated from the Deaf community. Because the deaf child does not receive signed or spoken language input, these children are considered linguistically isolated.
Child of deaf adultA child of deaf adult, often known by the acronym CODA, is a person who was raised by one or more deaf parents or legal guardians. Ninety percent of children born to deaf adults are not deaf, resulting in a significant and widespread community of CODAs around the world, although whether the child is hearing, deaf, or hard of hearing has no effect on the definition. The acronym KODA (kid of deaf adult) is sometimes used to refer to CODAs under the age of 18.
EthnologueEthnologue: Languages of the World (stylized as Ethnoloɠue) is an annual reference publication in print and online that provides statistics and other information on the living languages of the world. It is the world's most comprehensive catalogue of languages. It was first issued in 1951 and is now published by SIL Global, an American evangelicalChristian non-profit organization.
Body languageBody language is a type of nonverbal communication in which physical behaviors, as opposed to words, are used to express or convey information. Such behavior includes facial expressions, body posture, gestures, eye movement, touch and the use of space. Although body language is an important part of communication, most of it happens without conscious awareness. In social communication, body language often complements verbal communication.
Baby signA child signing the concept of "bird"Baby sign, or baby signing, is the use of manual signing allowing infants and toddlers to communicate emotions, desires, and objects prior to spoken language development. With guidance and encouragement, signing develops from a natural stage in infant development known as gesture. These gestures are taught in conjunction with speech to hearing children, and are not the same as a sign language.DeafnessDeafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an audiological condition.
Hearing lossPartial or total inability to hearMedical conditionWikimedia Commons has media related to Audiology.Hearing loss is either a partial inability to hear, or a total inability termed deafness. Hearing loss may be present at birth or acquired at any time afterwards. Hearing loss may occur in one or both ears. In children, hearing problems can affect the ability to acquire spoken language. In adults, it can create difficulties with social interaction and at work.
Deaf cultureAn introduction to Deaf culture in American Sign Language (ASL, English subtitles available)Deaf culture encompasses the social beliefs, behaviors, arts, traditions, history, values, and institutions of communities that are shaped by shared experiences of deafness and in which sign languages are the main means of communication.
Nonverbal communicationInterpersonal communication through wordless (mostly visual) cuesUnderstanding each other through hand and eye expression: the number two seen at a streetside vendor near the Bell Tower of Xi'an in ChinaNonverbal communication is the transmission of messages or signals through a nonverbal platform such as eye contact (oculesics), body language (kinesics), social distance (proxemics), touch (haptics), voice (prosody and paralanguage), physical environments/appearance, and use of objects.
sign languageRelated word or term.Category:Sign languagesRelated word or term.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.