How To Learn Korean Sign Language

Korean Sign Language (KSL) is one of two sign languages used in South Korea. The other is Korean Standard Sign Language (KSDSL). The difference betwixt the two is that KSDSL is a manually-coded form of Korean, while KSL is a natural sign language with its own vocabulary and grammar distinct from spoken Korean.

History of Korean Sign Language

Because of Korea'south colonial history, KSL is like to Japanese Sign Linguistic communication (JSL) and Taiwan Sign Language (TSL). Japan occupied Taiwan from 1895-1945 and Korea from 1910-1945, and teachers from Japan established deaf schools in Taiwan and Korea during those occupations. The event was a meaning influence of JSL on KSL and TSL, with users of the three signed languages today having up to 60-70 percent understandability with 1 another. This is in stark dissimilarity to the spoken languages of the iii countries, which are well-nigh completely incomprehensible from one some other.

"Hangul", the Korean writing system — "Hangul", the Korean writing arrangement

public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Korean Sign Language and Deaf Instruction

Oralism (learning to speak and lip-read Korean) has been the dominant mode of education in schools for the deaf in South Korea. In the 1980s, KSDSL began to exist used forth with oralism considering of the belief that using a manually-coded form of spoken Korean would amend literacy among deaf Korean students. Recent studies, nonetheless, accept demonstrated that the power to use KSL is a stronger predictor of deafened students' literacy than utilise of KSDSL. This is consistent with similar studies of American Sign Language (ASL) and language acquisition in the United states, which evidence that fluency in ASL facilitates acquisition of English as a 2d language. This is considering fluency in a natural signed language, like ASL or KSL, provides the proper language foundation for learning a second linguistic communication, while use of manually coded signs, which are artificial for deaf people, hinder language acquisition.

The 2Bi Approach

Recently, some educators of the deaf in Republic of korea accept advocated for a bilingual-bicultural approach to deaf education, which they call "2Bi." This approach emphasizes KSL every bit the natural language of deafened people in South korea and has shown some promise: at least one school for the deafened has limited its oral approach and instead incorporates KSL—they even teach KSL to the parents of their deaf students starting in kindergarten. The school has seen higher bookish achievement among their students than at schools using oral and KSDSL approaches.

The 2Bi model still faces barriers when it comes to full implementation. Many teachers in Korea call back that using KSL is the incorrect approach because it is a different language from Korean. As more teacher preparation programs railroad train future educators on the 2Bi approach and the importance of KSL in proper linguistic communication acquisition, more schools may adopt teaching methods that better serve deaf students.

Learn Some Basic KSL Signs

This plan is called "Dearest's Sign Language Classroom." The hand sign in the background is the same as the ASL sign for "I love you."

Below I volition breakdown the video by run time. Pause at each of the intervals to read my description of the sign existence shown.

Video Breakdown

0:30 – Here, they are showing the sign for 인사, which means "greeting." The standard sign has the forward motion, but one of the hosts shows that you tin can besides plow your hands inward to testify two people greeting each other.

1:xx – KSL uses the same sign for 안녕하세요? (How are you?), 안녕히가세요 (Goodbye – said to the person leaving), and 안녕히계세요 (Adieu - said to the person staying behind). The host explains that the KSL sign is a combination of "well" (palm sliding beyond arm) plus 1 of the verbs for "to be" (double fist move). (Notice how natural it is to sign "be well" for these greetings, and how bad-mannered it would be to manually lawmaking the verbatim Korean expressions.)

Curlicue to Continue

References

Se-Eun Jhang, "Notes on Korean Sign Language," in The Handbook of Due east Asian Psycholinguistics, Volume iii, Cambridge University Printing (2009), pages 361-375.
Susan Fischer and Qunhu Gong, "Variation in East Asian sign language structures," in Sign Languages, edited past Diane Brentari, Cambridge Academy Printing (2010), pages 499-518.
Sung-Kyu Choi, "Deaf Education in Republic of korea," in Deaf People Effectually the World: Educational and Social Perspectives, edited by Donald F. Moores and Margery S. Miller, Gallaudet Academy Press (2009), pages 88-97.