Is American Sign Language a foreign language?
CHICAGO _ Twenty students are holding several animated small-group discussions, but no one in this Northern Illinois University classroom utters a word. Their fingers weave in complex patterns as they converse in American Sign Language, which the university has declared an official foreign language. To the students, the new label is fitting: They say that American Sign Language is distinct from spoken English and that its coursework provides a new perspective akin to the cultural immersion they’d experience in French, Spanish or other traditional language classes. “It shapes how you view the world around you,” said Christine Theobold, a sophomore from Streamwood, Ill., who is taking the most advanced sign class at NIU. “I guess it’s how you view the word ‘foreign.’ ” But the practice of awarding foreign language credit for American Sign Language coursework has been fiercely debated at universities across the country. Some educators argue an indigenous language by definition can’t be co
Related Questions
- American Sign Language is listed as Language Arts. Can it be moved to be listed as a Foreign Language, or listed as both?
- Can American Sign Language be used to fulfill the foreign language requirement of colleges and universities?
- What colleges and universities do not accept American sign language for the foreign language requirement?
