【Research Note】“A Comparative Analysis of International Sign and National Sign Languages”

Abstract

The Deaflympics are organized and operated primarily by Deaf people themselves, and as a result, international communication during the games and in their administration is conducted using what is known as International Sign. However, International Sign is not usually used within each country, where sign languages shaped by each nation’s unique historical, cultural, and linguistic traditions are used.

Although International Sign is officially regarded as culturally neutral and devoid of specific national characteristics, in practice, it appears to be heavily influenced by the languages and cultural traditions of Western countries. This article seeks to demonstrate this point by comparing International Sign with British, American, and French sign languages, focusing on commonly used everyday vocabulary to examine similarities. For reference, Japanese sign language is also included in the comparison.

Furthermore, to explore the degree of similarity or difference among national sign languages influenced by their own cultural and linguistic traditions, the article also compares Japanese, Chinese, and Korean sign languages, focusing on everyday terms.

The Japanese sign language discussed in this article is Manually Coded Japanese

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