Manually coded language: Difference between revisions

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'''Manually Coded Languages''' (MCL) are representations of spoken languages in a gestural-visual form; that is, "sign language" versions of spoken langauges. They are not the natural languages of [[Deaf community|Deaf communities]], althoughwhich theyare often takehundreds signsof ("[[lexicon]]")years fromold, thebut deafwere invented by [[signHearing language(person)|hearing]], adding specially-created signs (often using "initialisations"), and build them into a representationeducators of the spoken langaugedeaf.

There are many forms of Manually Coded Languages, the oldest being the [[manual alphabet]]s used in the middle ages (and possibly earlier) in Europe, which encoded a differrent hand sign for each letter of the [[Latin alphabet]]. Modern MCLs can be traced to the [[Abbé de l'Épée]] in [[18th century]] France, but the real proliferation of such systems occurred in the latter half of the [[20th century]]. Many of these systems ("[[Signed English]]", "Signed German" and so on) share the approach of taking signs ("[[lexicon]]") from the deaf community [[sign language]], adding specially-created signs (often using "initialisations"), and build them into a representation of the spoken language. Thus "Signed English" in America (based on [[American Sign Language|ASL) has a lexicon quite different to "Signed English" in the UK (based on [[British Sign Language|BSL]]).

Manually Coded Langauges proliferated in the latter half of the [[20th century]], but precedents can be traced to the [[manual alphabet]]s used in the middle ages in Europe, and the [[Abbé de l'Épée]] in [[18th century]] France. They are often used in schools and by interpreters.

Another system that has been adapted for many languages is [[Cued Speech]], which uses a limited number of handshapes and locations near the mouth to differentiate between sounds not distinguishable from on the lips.

The use of MCLs is controversial, and is opposed by those who believe Deaf people should speak, lipread and use [[hearing aids]] rather than sign, as well as those who support the natural sign languages of the Deaf community over these cumbersome systems invented by [[Hearing (person)|hearing people]].