No. But what it does is to foster understanding, and takes you a step closer towards an inclusive society.

What is an inclusive society?

To me, it is a society where we are able to communicate and understand one another despite our differences.

Thus, language is an important aspect. Everyone can be heard and is brought into the conversation. In Singapore, we already have English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil (and more!). Learning another – Sign Language, won’t hurt.

My Experience

I joined the Singapore Sign Language (SgSL) Basic Communication Level 1 and Level 2 by Extraordinary Horizons. Signed up for it because I was curious and interested.

I guess I have always liked learning languages (but not practicing them unfortunately) since I used all my electives learning Chinese and Arabic back in uni. And all three languages have extremely difficult exams, especially for their Level 2!

3 Takeaways from Learning SgSL

#1 Context and Circumstances should always be taken into consideration

Singapore Sign Language is unique as it is adapted from various sign languages including ASL, SEE and SEE2, and then fitted to the Singaporean context. So, words like sian, dabao, ulu also have their own signs, isn’t that cool?

SgSL is constantly evolving as the application becomes more widespread. SgSL is mainly visual-based, which really helps you remember the vocabulary as the word represents the thing you are referring to. It reminded me of Chinese a lot, where the characters have some sort of related imagery. Arabic is the most difficult language for me, especially with the lack of imagery that links the object and the word together, apart from all the complicated grammar.

#2 Importance of a strong Community

Extraordinary Horizons provided a very comfortable learning experience. The students are also all so genuine, helpful, and friendly. We may have all come with a different purpose, but we have the same end goal.

It also felt very nice to be in this group, that speaks the same language as you, because I don’t have many in my social circle who does on a daily basis. The same goes for Arabic.

It is interesting to note that when I learnt Chinese, I could practise it as much as I wanted to. Cause let’s face it, Singapore is a Chinese-majority country. This subtle difference really speaks a lot on the need for all communities to have some sort of representation in the community.

#3 To always Acknowledge and show Support

We have to learn how to be open and accept that everyone is different, and have different ways of seeing the world.

I was so happy to see the dance crew, Redeafination, featuring in this year’s NDP! The crew “comprises individuals from the deaf community who make use of vibrations through the floor to keep in time with the music” (taken from the Straits Times). NDP has always been a platform that boosts the visibility of our local artists (it was how I discovered ShiggaShay before he became mainstream!). While I don’t follow the crew closely, it is great to see them being recognised.

I had joined a dance masterclass organised by this same crew back in 2018, who invited Chris Fonseca, a deaf dancer based in London. The experience was really no different from a usual dance class. I appreciate how his choreography showed his musicality though, where he hit beats that I wasn’t even aware of in the song, forcing me to listen to the music closer. Being deaf has nothing on him, it only lifts him up!

There you go! Learning a language may not seem like much, but it is a step forward anyway.