Why Isn't Sign Language the Same Everywhere?

Vlog | Destiny Yarbro | August 8, 2025 | 7 min watch

Video Transcript

Hands down, the most common question I get from you guys is, "Why isn't sign language the same everywhere?" 

0:08 — What Happens When You Use ASL Abroad 

Well, if you travel to a different country and when you arrive, you meet a Deaf person and you start throwing some ASL with them, this is what's going to happen. They're not going to understand you and you're probably going to get some weird looks as a result. This video is about why sign language is not universal and why it's really important not to assume that. 

0:30 — Is ASL similar to British Sign Language? 

So, my favorite example of this is, now wait for it, it's going to blow your mind. American Sign Language is related to British Sign Language. NOT!! American Sign Language is actually related to French sign language, not British. Wait, what? The UK and the US may both use English, but their sign languages are completely different. If you don't believe me, check it out over there. 

1:02 — Do Neighboring Countries Have Similar Sign Languages? 

So, if you assume that sign languages follow spoken languages, maybe hold on that assumption because this is just the beginning of this video. Maybe you're thinking, "The U.S. is up here, Mexico's down here. They're neighbors, so it's got to have similar sign languages, right?" No, completely different. ASL is used all across the United States. But if you hop over the border to Mexico, that's where they use Mexican Sign Language, LSM. 

1:20 — Is There One Sign Language for Each Sign Language? (example: South Africa) 

So, maybe now you're thinking, "Oh, okay. I get it. One country equals one sign language. Not really. Most countries have a lot of different sign languages. For example, South Africa has 14. 14!! One. Four. 

1:39 — Do Sign Languages Have Accents and Dialects? (example: Texas drawl) 

So, wait, hold. It gets even crazier than that. Spoken languages have accents and dialects, right? Sign languages have accents and dialects, too. I always like to joke that when I'm signing I have a really strong Texas draw because I lived there for many many years. So in Texas you have you know "y'all" and that means "you all" - it's a combination of the two, right? Y.all. Same concept in sign language. Like they have signs for brother and sister, each with two signs, but Texas they just combine the two and sign brother sister. That's it - super fast. 

2:39 — How Do Sign Languages Form and Evolve? (example: Latin) 

So, how does this happen? Spoken languages over time change and evolve. They morph through the years, right? Same with sign languages. They change and morph over time and they divide into different sign languages. So you already know about Latin. Latin is a language that spread throughout many countries and over the years became individual languages like Spanish, Romanian, Portuguese, Italian, right? Same idea with sign languages. Sign languages spread throughout the world and over time they divide out and that's why French Sign Language and ASL are similar, kind of like Spanish and Portuguese are similar. You can understand each other a little bit.

3:18 — What Role Does Deaf Schools Have on Sign Languages? 

So, typically the reason behind this is because of geographical differences, right? They're separated. But there's also a specific reason with sign languages and that's Deaf schools. Typically, they have their own accents, their own preferences, and over generations that becomes its own language. 

3:38 — How Many Sign Languages in the USA? 

So, maybe you're saying, Destiny, here in the United States, we only have ASL, right? Uh, nope. No. Here in the United States, we have several. So, ASL, Black ASL. We have Protactile, which is used by the DeafBlind community. It's a tactile language. And there's many Native American Sign Languages. For example, PISL, which is Plains Indian Sign Language. 

4:05 — What is International Sign? (Gestuno) 

Now, at this point, people typically ask, "Wait, isn't there an international sign that anyone can use?" Uh, yes and no. So, yes, they have an international sign. It's called Gestuano, and it's used in the World Federation of the Deaf for the Deaf Olympics. If two people happen to know Gestuano, they can use it but it's not a full language. It's what's called a pigeon. So, it's a concise way to communicate basic concepts. So, that is called technically a working language. Meaning, if you have to communicate, sure, you can get concepts across, but it's not someone's innate native language. And honestly, most Deaf people around the world do not know it. So it's not really a universal language then, right?

5:03 — Where to Learn Sign Languages from Around the World 

Okay. So, really quick before we end, if you're now feeling like super motivated to start learning sign languages and maybe even all of them [laughs], you can learn at InterSign University. And there is where Deaf teachers from around the world teach you one-on-one their different sign languages. And you can start by using the code that I've added in the box below. It's a discount code.

5:31 — Why Learning from Deaf Teachers Matters 

And honestly, it's really important to remember that learning a language is much more than vocab, right? Learning a language requires learning through the people who use it and through the culture that developed it. Learning both of those. That's how you learn a language. So, honestly, the only way to do that is with a native signer or a native speaker. They're the ones that can teach you everything that's behind that language, such as their culture, the history, really the soul of the language can only be conveyed through a native signer. So, if you want to learn a language, for example, Spanish, who's going to be your teacher? Well, a native speaker of Spanish from Chile or Mexico, right? That just makes sense. Same idea with sign language. If you really really want to learn it, it's through a Deaf teacher.

6:20 — The Importance of Cultural Diversity in Sign Languages 

So, the point of all of this is imagine a world where people only spoke English or they only signed ASL. Okay, sure, it would maybe be efficient, but SO boring. Our world needs diversity and it needs specifically linguistic diversity. So, that's why sign language is not universal and why it's never going to be. [Music]

My Videos