ASL is not universal

Hi everyone, welcome back!

Today I learned something really interesting about sign languages, and I wanted to share it with you.

When people hear “sign language,” they often imagine that there’s only one used everywhere in the world. It feels logical, right? If spoken languages can be translated, then maybe sign language is just one system with different words. But American Sign Language breaks that myth beautifully. ASL is not universal, because sign languages evolve the same way spoken languages do: inside specific communities, shaped by culture, history, and human creativity.

The United Kingdom, for example, uses British Sign Language (BSL), which is not related to ASL at all. A person signing ASL and someone signing BSL wouldn’t understand each other, even though both are using their hands and facial expressions. Their grammar, vocabulary, and structure are completely different.

Here’s the surprising twist: even countries that share the same spoken language do not share the same sign language. The U.S. and the U.K. both speak English, yet ASL and BSL are as different as two unrelated spoken languages. That really made me think about how deeply language is connected to identity, not just sound.

This fact changed the way I see communication. It reminded me that language is not just a tool, it’s a living reflection of the people who use it. Learning ASL is not only about memorizing signs; it’s about understanding a culture, a history, and a way of seeing the world.

And honestly, that makes learning a new language feel even more powerful.



Thanks for reading, see you soon!

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