Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!munnari.oz.au!csc!ccadfa!crypt1!phoenix
From: phoenix@crypt1.cs.adfa.oz.au (Leisa Condie)
Newsgroups: comp.society.futures
Subject: Re: Global Cultural Prototype
Message-ID: <544@ccadfa.adfa.oz.au>
Date: 19 Oct 89 10:02:45 GMT
References: <8910171709.aa15054@granite.cr.bull.com> <3333@crdgw1.crd.ge.com>
Sender: news@ccadfa.adfa.oz.au
Reply-To: phoenix@crypt1.cs.adfa.oz.au (Leisa Condie)
Organization: Computer Science Dept., Australian Defence Force Academy
Lines: 38

In article <3333@crdgw1.crd.ge.com> shane@underdog.crd.ge.com (Randall H. Shane) writes:
>In article <8910171709.aa15054@granite.cr.bull.com> tobolsky@granite.cr.bull.com (Irene Tobolsky) writes:
>] I boldy propose that a universal language is needed, and that this language
>] ought to be based on sign language.  Sign language is easy to learn, regardless
>] of your native tongue.  A cat is a cat whether the cat is in England, the United
>] States, or Russia.  Furthermore, sign language lets us hearing people 
>]  with both the deaf and blind community.

This is not quite correct. A cat *is* a cat wherever you go, but the sign
for cat is very different depending on which sign language you use (eg
Auslan, British, German etc).
For communication with the blind, it is usual to fingerspell onto their
hand - and the spelling is usually done in the language used in that country
(eg English, German etc).

>First, are sign languages truly universal?  Are the
>concepts behind Chinese, or Bantu etc. similar enough that a common
>sign language is possible?  (I don't know.)  Second, do sign languages
>have the richness of vocabulary of spoken/written languages?  Also, I
>think that it is generally more important to communicate while holding
>something, or driving, or in the dark, etc. that to be able to talk
>while one is using one's mouth.

From my comments above it is clear that sign language is not universal (here
in Australia there are even different meanings for one sign depending on
which state you are in). The language is certainly richer than most people
believe, and with fingerspelling to supplement, as rich as spoken language
(simply different and often terser). There *is* a sign language equivalent
to Esperanto - it is called Gestuno, and is used to facilitate signing between
people from different countries, but I understand it is about as well known
as Esperanto (I'm not sure about this though).

Leisa

Leisa Condie,     Dept. Comp. Sc., UC/UNSW, ADFA, Canberra,  2601, Australia.
ACSNET: phoenix@cs.adfa.oz               Ph: (062) 68 8185 Fax: (062) 68 8581
"And I'll dance in time and the times are rough,
 And I'll pay the price and I'll pray that it's enough.." (Melissa Etheridge)