A few questions about sign languages

[Iris Knol]

Hi, I'm a student from the Netherlands. I am writing an essay on sign lanugages, one of them being ASL. I have a few questions for people that know a sign language and I would really appreciate it if you could answer them! I don't know a whole lot about deaf culture and sign languages, so please let me know if you find any of these questions inappropriate.

 

For deaf or mute people: 

Do you sometimes struggle to communicate with people that don’t know sign language? How do you ususally overcome this?

 

For anyone that knows sign:

How extensive is the vocabulary in a sign language compared to a spoken language?

Are there signs that you find hard?

Do you often encounter signs that you don’t know?

Do you often experience that you use different signs than other people that use the same sign language?

How much would you say your sign language depends on mouth movement and body language?

Was it hard for you to learn sign language? / Was it hard for you to learn a spoken language?

What are, according to you, the major differences between spoken languages and sign languages?

Do you use sayings in sign language, if so, are they the same as in spoken language, or are they specific to sign language?

What’s your favourite part about deaf culture?

Have you ever tried to communicate with another signing person that doesn’t know the same sign language? If so, what sign language and how did it go?

 

Thank you in advance!