American Sign Language In School

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What if there was a language that allowed people to communicate without making a sound? What if there was a language that allowed people to have a conversation underwater? Or in a loud room? What if there was a language that would unlock a whole field of jobs, and make getting a job easier? What if you could learn that language in school instead of Spanish or French? Well that language does exist, and it is American Sign Language. American Sign Language, or ASL, is the predominant language used by the approximately 9,000,000 deaf and hard of hearing people in the US and much of the Canadian deaf population as well. The exact number of ASL users is unknown, but it is likely the fourth most used language in the United States after English, Spanish, …show more content…
Many people think that ASL is much easier to learn than other languages, but that is simply not true. American Sign Language has its own grammar and syntax, and "contains all the fundamental features of language" (NIDCD, American Sign Language). It is a completely different language from English and is actually more closely related to spoken Chinese than it is to spoken English. ASL also has its own culture associated with it. Deaf culture revolves around the language and, just as English, Spanish, German, and many other languages come with their own customs, jokes, and literature, ASL has it all. State laws are allowing public schools to offer ASL, and currently all of the United States of America accept ASL as a foreign language for high school graduation requirements (NCSSFL, State Reports). In addition, many colleges and universities accept the language for their foreign language requirements. Schools, such as the University of New Mexico, UCLA, and even Harvard and Yale, now accept ASL as fulfillment for the foreign language entrance and exit requirements (Wilcox, Universities That Accept ASL In Fulfillment Of Foreign Language Requirements). ASL fulfills the foreign language requirements for high schools and colleges, and it presents all of the same challenges as learning any other foreign …show more content…
According to Kristen Harmon who is a professor at Gallaudet University for the deaf and hard of hearing, “an estimated 20 million Americans have measurable hearing loss, and ASL is the primary language of 250,000 to 500,000 people” (Weise 1). That estimation, added to friends and family members of the hearing impaired, and nonverbal children and adults with disabilities, becomes a very large number of ASL users. American Sign Language also serves most of the deaf population of English-speaking Canada. There are many opportunities for ASL students to practice and use their sign language skills, and many opportunities for signers to use the language after they graduate. American Sign Language was thought to be the fourth most used language in America after English, Spanish, and Chinese, after a study done in 2004. The study however, did not differentiate between ASL and other signed languages, and has since been discredited by many. ASL is definitely at least the sixth most used language in the US, and could possibly be the fourth, although no one can be sure (Harrington 1). No matter what ranking American Sign Language is, one thing can be sure: ASL is used by many people, and the number is growing
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