"So... How Similar Are They?": An American's Adventures with LSF

When I told people I was going to Paris, I got some of the standard questions: how long are you there, when do you leave, where are you staying, etc. The basics
When I told people I was going to Paris to study French Sign Language, it felt like I kept getting the same three questions:

1. "Wait, so sign language isn't universal?"
2. "Well, why are you studying French Sign Language? Isn't British Sign Language closer to American Sign Language?"
3. "So... how similar are they?"

Since these questions seemed so wildly popular (and, coincidentally, a convenient way for me to frame my blog post on LSF) I figured I'd break it all down for all the curious, interested, and intrigued folks of the world.

"Wait, so sign language isn't universal?"

Nope! Just like there's no universal spoken language, there's no universal signed language either. While they may have occasionally developed in collaboration with other signed languages (spoiler alert) or picked up signs from fellow signers worldwide, each language has undergone its own unique process within its country and community, picking up slang and little nuances along the way. Even within each sign language you can find different "dialects", regional signs, and culture-specific signs. Surprise! Sign language is a real, developed language, just like spoken language.

"Well, why are you studying French Sign Language? Isn't British Sign Language closer to American Sign Language?"

No.

It might seem like it makes more sense for two English-speaking countries to have similar sign languages, but they're incredibly different. British Sign Language (abb. BSL) has roots starting in 1760 and developed on its own, meaning it has its own signs, grammar rules, and norms outside of the cultural and regional signs that vary from country to country. Additionally, their alphabet follows a two-handed system, unlike American Sign Language (abb. ASL) and French Sign Language (abb. LSF), which only uses the dominant hand in their alphabet. Additionally, LSF and ASL share many signs and characteristics, as we'll explore in the next section.

From left to right: BSL alphabet, ASL alphabet, LSF alphabet 

"So... how similar are they?"

Here we are, friends. The meat and potatoes of this post. Buckle up, because this section might be a bit of a ride.

ASL and LSF are surprisingly similar. For one, as we've seen, their alphabets are almost twins. Aside from F, G, H, M, N, T, and X, they're carbon copies of one another. A lot of their signs are the same, too. "Thank you", "eat", and "what" are the same in both languages, while signs like "coffee", "person", and  "now" are similar to each others counterparts. Additionally, body movement and non-manual morphemes (or, to put it simply, facial expression and movement) mirror each other in terms of how they operate; leaning in with furrowed brows indicates a question, raised eyebrows with wide eyes help to show a transition is happening, and puffing up one's cheeks or pursing one's lips emphasizes size.
There are, however, several differences. Just enough that I'll definitely be mixing up LSF and ASL signs enough for my professor to be irritated with me when I go back to school in the fall. For one, numbering in ASL and LSF are very different. ASL uses a one-handed system for all numbers up to ninety-nine, much like its alphabet. LSF, on the other hand, uses two hands for several of their numbers. Here's a short Facebook video that shows ASL and LSF numbering side to side in order to give an idea of how different they are. Additionally, there are signs in ASL that mean completely different things in LSF. Sign "cook" in ASL? You're asking for an interpreter in LSF (or, you're telling people you can interpret, which can cause you a list of problems longer than the Eiffel tower). Laughing in America? You're asking someone "ça va" (translation: "what's up?" or "okay") in France. And don't be surprised if you're trying to ask when a hockey game starts and you end up getting an eraser and a pencil (because ASL "hockey" = LSF "eraser" and ASL "start" = LSF "pencil"). These are the signs that are going to trip me up come August. Sorry in advance to all my professors.
So why are these two languages that live across the ocean from each other so similar? Well, in the interest of not having an absurdly long blog post, we'll make that a separate post.