Most of us have mastered the language by ear and transmit our thoughts through speech. We reproduce words and phrases in our mind and pronounce them, thus expressing what we wanted to say. But how do the deaf-mute communicate?
Eyes instead of ears
The human desire to communicate is very strong and can overcome any obstacles. In deaf people, the function of learning a language is usually taken over by sight. Life brought such people together, and they themselves developed a special way of communication, known as sign (kinetic) language. Over time, he acquired a new vocabulary and was a whole linguistic system. Of course, many of us at least once saw the deaf and mute.
Previously, deaf people in many schools were forbidden to use gestures, while they forced them to read lips and express their thoughts in writing. But those of them who first mastered kinetic speech, easier to cope with their studies and quickly learned to read and write.
And what language do deaf and dumb people think ? In his native - a gesture. Hearing people formulate their thoughts in their heads in the same language they speak. So it is with the deaf.
Many mistakenly think that deaf people cannot speak. But as a rule, their sound device is not damaged, it just is not designed.
How deaf and dumb people communicate: sign language
From the outside it seems that this is an improved pantomime, since facial expressions, body movements and the surrounding space are also actively used there.
It is also called the language of pictures, because some gestures resemble the appearance of the objects that they designate (for example, to show the word "house", two palms are connected in the form of a roof). True, both opinions are only partly correct. The fact is that most gestures do not at all resemble the objects in question. This is especially true for abstract concepts. For example, to say “thank you” in Russian sign language, you must first with a clenched fist touch your forehead and then your chin.
A special fingerprint alphabet has also been developed - a system of manual characters corresponding to letters. If each word is conveyed with its help, then in this case the expression of thought takes a lot of time.
There are such kinetic languages (Cuban, Portuguese, Spanish), where facial expressions play a major role, it is even too expressive. Usually this is inherent in those nationalities that are themselves more emotional in their psychotype. But facial expressions basically also perform a grammatical function. With its help, one can distinguish a question from a command, a conditional mood from a statement.
Geographically, the range of use of sign and spoken languages does not always coincide. Russian kinetic speech is common in Ukraine, Belarus, and Israel. In Puerto Rico, deaf people communicate using American gestures, although the main language of those who hear is Spanish.
And how do deaf and dumb people from different countries communicate? Indeed, for someone who speaks British sign language, American is the same as a foreign one. Therefore, scientists from all over the world have developed a universal notation system, which includes about 1,500 concepts.
In addition to vocabulary, each kinetic language has its own grammar. For example, in its American version, as well as in Russian, the subject of discussion is indicated at the beginning of the sentence, and then something is reported about it. If in oral speech the definition usually faces the subject, then in sign language the opposite is true. The main feature of many such languages is also the construction of events exclusively in chronological sequence.
Do deaf people understand the written text?
Reading is very closely related to auditory memory. That is, the hearing child knows the sound of the phoneme “a,” and when they show him in the primer how it is indicated on the letter, it is quite easy for him to remember this connection. It is difficult for the deaf to compare graphic images with the sounds of oral speech. The difficulty also lies in the fact that in sign languages there is a completely different construction of sentences, there are no cases and declensions. But despite such difficulties, most deaf people still master the technique of reading and can express their thoughts in writing.
Understand the world of the deaf
Many people mistakenly believe that deaf people are very limited in acquiring knowledge. But in fact, sign languages are not primitive, but very rich. With their help, you can express an idea of any complexity. Therefore, people communicating in sign language can master all branches of knowledge, without any problems they get higher education. Watching the deaf-mute communicate, we see that the lack of hearing does not prevent them from making friends, starting a family, raising children, in a word, leading a normal life.
Universal human values are inherent in them to the same extent as other people. They are deeply hurt when they are considered flawed or disabled.
And how to communicate with deaf-mute people? For a full exchange of thoughts, one must learn their native language - sign language - or at least a dactyl alphabet. There is no other way to understand their thinking.