Types of Sign Language
There are many types of sign languages. Sign Language has a very wide range. On one end you have Signed English. This method uses one sign for every English word and even has special “endings” that are put on the signs to show -ing and -ed. There are several methods that go by the name Signing Exact English, Signed English etc.
On the other end there is American Sign Language which is an entirely different language with its own grammar as well as syntax. It is not related to English in any way except to fingerspell English words that don’t have signs. Somewhere in the middle you have what most people use, a pidgeon. It isn’t entirely separate from English, but you don’t sign every single word. It is simply a combination of the two.
In the United States alone, there are several English ones in use, and nearly one for every country and language in the world. Here is a list of the types of sign language in North and South America.
* American Sign Language (ASL)
* Argentine Sign Language (LSA)
* Bolivian Sign Language
* Brazilian Sign Language “Lingua Brasileira de Sinais” (LIBRAS)
* Chilean Sign Language “Lenguaje de Señas Chileno” (LSCH)
* Colombian Sign Language (CSN)
* Costa Rican Sign Language (LESCO)
* Cuba Sign Language
* Ecuadorian Sign Language
* Guatemalan Sign Language
* Honduras Sign Language “Lengua de señas hondureña” (LESHO)
* Maritime Sign Language
* Mayan Sign Languages
* Mexican Sign Language “Lengua de señas mexicana” (LSM)
* Nicaraguan Sign Language “Idioma de señas nicaragüense” (ISN)
* Quebec Sign Language “Langue des Signes Québécoise” (LSQ)
* Peruvian Sign Language
* Providence Island Sign Language
* Salvadorian Sign Language
* Uruguayan Sign Language
* Urubú Sign Language
* Venezuelan Sign Language “Lengua de señas venezolana” (LSV)
* Yucatec Maya Sign Language