Sign English (SE)

This is a system that is often used in schools to teach deaf children the grammatical aspects of English, such as the use of word endings and plurals, etc. For example, for the word ‘walk’ the sign for ‘walk’ would be used and then the ending of that particular word would be written with fingers. Past tenses would also be displayed along with other features. This is not a language in itself, it is just a tool to teach English.

Signed Supported English (SSE)

Signed English is similar to Signed English, although it does not use fingerspelling or fully represent word endings, ‘ing’, ‘ed’, etc. BSL signs are used but follow the format and structure of English. For example, if the sentence “I went shopping today and was busy” was signed in SSE, the signs would follow the same structure as the sentence. However, if this was signed in BSL, then the order of the signs would be slightly different and would probably follow this format: “Me shopping today…busy”. This would be accompanied by the appropriate facial expressions to show that he was busy.

The balance of signs from BSL to English varies greatly depending on the signer’s knowledge of the two languages. A single sign is often differentiated into several English words by clearly pronouncing the word. To understand SSE, you need good lip-reading (speech-reading) skills, as well as a thorough understanding of English grammar.

Paget Gorman Signaling System
The Paget Gorman Sign System was created in Britain by Sir Richard Paget in the 1930s and developed by Lady Grace Paget and Dr. Pierre Gorman for use with children with speech or communication difficulties, such as toddlers. deaf It is a system of grammatical signs that reflects the normal patterns of English. The system uses 37 basic signs and 21 standard hand postures, which can be combined to represent a large vocabulary of English words, including word endings and verb tenses. The signs do not correspond to the natural signs of the Deaf community. The system was widespread in UK deaf schools from the 1960s to the 1980s, but since the advent of British Sign Language and BSL-based Signed English in deaf education, its use it is now largely restricted to the field of speech and language disorders. .

makaton

This is a communication system that uses a vocabulary of “key words” signs and hand gestures to support speech, as well as graphic symbols to support the written word. It is used by and with people who have communication, language or learning difficulties. This includes people with articulation problems (for example, people with cerebral palsy), people with cognitive impairments that might be associated with conditions such as autism or Down syndrome, and their families, colleagues, and carers. It can be used to support speech and language development in children, or by adults as a functional means of communication for everyday use.

Communication using Makaton involves speaking (when possible) while simultaneously signing keywords. The sign vocabulary is taken from the local sign language for the deaf (with some additional ‘natural gestures’), starting with a ‘basic’ list of important words. However, the grammar generally follows the spoken language rather than the sign language. Makaton makes limited use of the spatial grammatical features of sign directionality and location. Since Makaton is used in more than 40 countries around the world, the Makaton keyword signature varies from country to country.

Makaton was developed in the early 1970s in the UK for communication with residents of a large hospital who were deaf and intellectually disabled. The name is a mix of the names of the three people who came up with it: Margaret Walker, Kathy Johnston, and Tony Cornforth.

Makaton is run by the MVDP (Makaton Vocabulary Development Project) which controls the copyright to Makaton and relies on associated revenue for its funding. This restricts the use of Makaton pictograms to authorized educational programs and home use.

Other simpler forms of manual communication have also been developed. They are not natural languages ​​or even a code that can fully represent one. They communicate with a very limited set of signals on an even smaller set of topics and have been developed for situations where talking is impractical or not allowed, or secrecy is desired.