Rationalist

PPMT, with lips saying peppmint

I am a coda now in my 80s and live in Melbourne Australia. Learning a new language is reputedly beneficial as we age, for brain and heart. Dictating this note, and I will copy and paste into the BSL app. I grew up with the equivalent of BSL, but have not used it for least 65 years. I am still very proficient with finger spelling, and practising or using it in a game environment would be an excellent test. I would like to participate in the BSL fingerspelling game, but unfortunately it does not seem to register for me. I input my name, PeterA and then proceed with the test. I think that my score must be at least 60 for two minutes but it does not record a score stop it may be that it requires registration, but I cannot see where to register my name and personal details. In my experience, so far as signing is concerned, unless the learner has almost daily access to a signing person for practice then it will be extremely difficult to become proficient or fluent, if at all. PeterA

I would like to be a contrarian on this issue, with three questions: 1. Of the following four options which one would be the most efficient method of communication between a hearing person and a profoundly deaf person: a) signing supported by fingerspelling b) fingerspelling supported by signing c) handwriting d) text to text on e-devices e) voice to text on e-devices 2.Would an emphasis on signing supported by fingerspelling tend to a) reduce or increase a deaf person’s literacy b) infantalise the non deaf person? c) neither 3. Why is signing supported by fingerspelling the currently accepted method of communication between the hearing and the deaf community?