Is sign language universal all over the world? Besides sign language songs, what other art forms are there? Are there any related training institutions or books?

Sign language is not universal all over the world, just like audio language, which is very different because of regional and cultural differences. For example, sign language is a descriptive language, and the same word may have different descriptions in different regions. Therefore, there are not only differences between countries, but also differences in sign language used by deaf people in different parts of China. Of course, in international occasions such as the World Conference for the Deaf, international sign language will also be used, but it is a sign language system that is artificially compiled by combining the sign languages of major countries and is rarely used in daily life.

Sign language is not an art, but a language and a communication tool. In order to spread and popularize sign language, we can use some forms to increase the fun of learning or express the beauty of sign language. Sign language songs are a very common form, of course, there can also be sign language dramas, sign language jokes and other forms.

In big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, there will be some specialized sign language promotion institutions, such as Northern Lights Sign Language Community or Hongyan Sign Language Corner in Beijing, Oriental International Sign Language School in Shanghai, Henan Sign Language Training and Promotion Center in Zhengzhou and so on. Of course, there are many cities that don't. In addition, many universities will also have sign language clubs such as sign language clubs to engage in some simple sign language training.

There are many books about learning sign language, but they are suitable for beginners. Recommend a book "Daily Conversation in Chinese Sign Language". Or you can watch the video "Let's learn sign language 100 sentence" online first, which is relatively simple and suitable for getting started. Of course, it is necessary to mention the Xinhua Sign Language Dictionary-Chinese Sign Language, which is similar to the Xinhua Chinese Dictionary, so there is no need to explain it. This book is certainly suitable for professionals to learn and for sign language lovers to refer to.

Answered by Xi Jiaotong University Sign Language Society.