Is ASL a foreign language?
The case for ASL as a foreign language may be succinctly stated. Following is a selective, simplified summary taken from Learning to See: Teaching American Sign Language as a Second Language, 2 nd Ed. , a text written by Sherman and Phyllis Perrin Wilcox, linguists at the University of New Mexico and respected advocates of ASL. They argue on the basis of language, culture, and literature. Some Aspects of the Language Argument . ASL is a sophisticated language distinct from English, with visual equivalents of phonology (cheremes), morphology, syntax, and grammar. ASL is distinct from other signed languages and has a separate history, with influences from French Sign Language (20-45). Some Aspects of the Culture Argument . Signers of ASL do not share just a disability to hear, they share a common language and a common code of conduct and values among themselves. They view their world and the world of the hearing from a perspective that is polar to that of a hearing person. Social behavio
