Quote:
Originally posted by Rudey:
Actually there is a common sign form and ASL is closer to French.
-Rudey
--Shush
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What do you mean by a common sign form in the context of ASL and BSL each being understood by people usin the opposite language? Do you mean a few words are the same or the gist is understood? And ASL being close to French (LSF) is that in the way of how many hand movements used to convey words etc? I had thought about learning BSL in the past and thought it a shame if it wasn't compatible with ASL.
From UK deaf newsgroup:
Sign languages are not all the same. In some cases the sign languages for countries that share a spoken and written language are completely different. British Sign Language (BSL), the sign language that is used by deaf people in the UK, is quite different to American Sign Language (ASL) and the fingerspelling is completely different - only the letter C is the same in both BSL and ASL. BSL uses two hands for all letters apart from C, whereas all ASL letters are signed one handed.
eta:
This link, apparently there is wide variation and each (ASL/BSL) is understood in different areas.