300 Sign Languages

There are 300 different Sign Languages used around the World.

Each Sign Language is unique and not understood by Users of other Sign Languages or even by Users of the Spoken Language.

To illustrate, in terms of syntax, American Sign Language shares more in common with Spoken Japanese than with Spoken English.

A Person who knows American Sign Language doesn’t automatically know and understand Spoken English the same way a Person who knows Spoken English doesn’t automatically know and understand American Sign Language.

They are separate Languages and need to be learned separately.

A Person who knows American Sign Language doesn’t automatically know and understand British Sign Language the same way a Person who knows British Sign Language doesn’t automatically know and understand American Sign Language.

They are separate Languages and need to be learned separately.

Around 1 Million People know American Sign Language in the United States as either their Sole Language or as their Second Language (out of a Population of 330 Million People.)

70 Million People Worldwide know any sort of Sign Language as either their Sole Language or as their Second Language (out of a Population of 8 Billion People.)

430 Million People Worldwide are either Deaf or Hard-Or-Hearing. Most do now use an organized Sign Language, but use their own Homemade or Pidgin Sign Language that only they, their Family and Friends understand.