Why don’t British hearing impaired people get taught ASL?

[ThisIsMyYearToFindMyself]

I know ASL is a completely different language, but it seems more prevalent across the world. So why don’t we (the UK) abandon the teaching of BSL in favour of ASL, then communication with other countries too would be possible? I just read that ASL is understood in the US, Canada, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Mexico, West Africa and parts of Southeast Asia.

I’m going to do some more googling with the new things I’ve learned so far and come back later with more questions. I’m definitely interested in learning more.

But I have not ‘presented’ my assumptions, I’ve said ‘I know this, I think that, so why…’.

I think that is the way to start learning something new that you maybe had a vague shadowy understanding of, but not enough knowledge to start asking the correct questions straightaway. If I did, I would just google.

@LeroyJenkinssss you've essentially said that people should abandon their language to learn another, with the implied presumption that it’s not a ‘real’ language like French or German.

I’m asking ‘why…..’. It’s the first word I used. What I’m looking for is ‘because…..’.

So if every country in the world taught all its children (Hearing and Deaf) International Sign Language then we would all be able to communicate with each other?

Why do we not all do that?

That seems like such a big win.

My grandparents were deaf and grew up in Scotland…they learned BSL, they moved to Ireland and joined a deaf club where they learned Irish sign language (ISL).

Hearing people learn more than one language so why wouldn't drag people?
OP I think you are struggling to realising that BSL is a language and part of someone's identity just like French or German is part of someone's identity.

This thread is really informative. I'm ashamed to say I didn't even realise there were different "languages" of sign language. I mean....it makes sense, I just hadn't thought about it.

Sorry why wouldn't deaf people . Not drag people!
I have just spotted the typo and can't edit it

It's not a 'full' language of its own. IS is essentially an agreed simplified form of communication used for specific purposes.

If I plonk you in the middle of Estonia, you might be able to get by ordering a cup of tea and paying, and getting a taxi from the hotel to the main church square etc without speaking the language - and without anyone else speaking English. You'd use gestures and words that overlap with your own language. But you wouldn't be able to have an in depth discussion about the impact of climate change on future immigration.

Esperanto hasn't caught on for spoken language, and IS (or a version of) won't be a solution for global communication for the Deaf community for similar reasons.

Your communication style by starting with assumptions and devaluing things you don't really understand is very off-putting. If you write like that at work or socially it could really hold you back.
You could have just asked questions, without assumptions.

Ok, thanks.

Sorry for the delay in answering.

There are a few parallels from, 'more people understand English' to ignoring the history and the culture that goes with it, banning it in schools.

That is fascinating. Apparently (thanks google, before anyone jumps down my throat) Auslan is used only in Australia, so someone in Nepal had to learn it? Or is it similar enough they managed?

Of course Auslan isn't just used in Australia. If you go to Spain on holiday do you stop speaking English at the airport and start speaking Spanish (or Catalan)?