SIGN LANGUAGE
More like spoken language than you’d expect
In Dutch we have got the NGT which stands for ‘Nederlandse Gebarentaal’. Renee Christ told us about this sign language. Her daughter, Nica (3), was born with the CHARGE syndrome, which is a combination of different medical conditions, including not being able to hear. That is why she and her husband Mollo began with learning sign language. In this interview Renee tells us some interesting facts about sign language.
How did you learn sign language? “It has been a very long process and we are still learning. We knew from very early on that Nica was deaf. Through courses, we started with sign language. In the beginning, it was easy, there was lots of material, but as soon as you want to expand your knowledge further, you have fewer options. Now, our learning equipment consists of predetermined lessons as well as customized modules which tie in with what Nica is learning at school.” Is it easy to learn sign language? “Well, a lot of signs are similar. Just like in spoken language, you sometimes have multiple meanings for
the same word. Some signs are the same, but because you portray a different word with your mouth, you change its meaning. Details are very important, because tapping your finger slightly different, repeatedly or slowly, can change the meaning of the gesture.” What was the most difficult to learn? “In my opinion, grammar is most difficult in sign language. The sentence structure is different and therefore you have to think very carefully about how to gesture it. For example, ‘I’m going to work tomorrow’ becomes ‘Tomorrow I work’. This different sentence structure makes it easier for deaf people to follow.”
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