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This summer I will go on two dates. One from Norway and the other from England. I have chatted with both on MSN, and we have decided to meet IRL. Both communicates in Sign Language, one with Norwegian Sign Language, and the other in British Sign Language (BSL).
Is Sign Language international, maybe you ask now?
No, Sign Language is not international. Every country has it own Sign Language.
As you know, Switzerland even has several languages: German, Italian, French and Romanch, if I remember it right from my school time.
It’s the same with Sign Language. In Switzerland there are French and German Sign Language.
In Sweden, we only have one Sign Language – the Swedish Sign Language - thank goodness!
Sign Language is different in every country. Some examples:
In Sweden, we sign the word “yes” by signing the alphabeth letters “J” and “A”.
But in Norway and England they sign ”yes” different from the Swedish Sign Language.
Sweden: “Yes” in Swedish Sign Language, but in England this sign means ”stop”.
Norway: This Norwegian sign for “yes” means “maybe” in England, and “childish behavior” in Sweden.
England: “Yes” in England, but in Sweden it means “nodding” or “pretend to understand” or “be deceived”.
Confusing? No, not if you have learned to understand the different Sign Languages.
I have learned some BSL (British Sign Language) but not the Norwegian Sign Language. I think we can understand each other well even thought I don't know Norwegian Sign Language.
Many people came to Johan's ordaining to priest, I heard it came about 300 people. I haven't been there myself, but those who have been there told me it was a beautiful and a great event. No music or psalm singing, but dance and deaf poetry instead of music. The bishop had learned some sign language, and signed to Johan on the ordaining.
You can see some pictures from Anne-Maj's blog here.
She also signs about this day in her vlog and she shows more pics in her video.
Johan Selin from Harnosand, Sweden, will be ordained to priest on Sunday 11th June. This is a great event, because Johan is the first deaf who will be ordained to priest in the Swedish Church.
Anne-Maj write more about this in her blog. If you know Swedish Sign Language, you can read it here. She has interviewed Johan Selin, and he told her that he used to play priest when he was a child. Later, after his one-year work in Tanzania, he decided to study to priest, which he has succeded at it now. Johan did his studies in Uppsala, near Stockholm, which is far away from his wife and two children. But he could to go home on the weekends, and came back to the studies on weekdays. Johan wanted to change the church for deaf people, and raised a debate about Sign Language in church services. The priests had too little knowledges in Sign Language by then. Now, the hearing priests have got further training in Sign Language, and now signs in the church services. We can also learn from Anne-Maj's blog that in U.K there are 3-4 deaf priests, and a couple more in other places around the world. But here in Sweden, Johan is the first deaf who will be ordained to priest. Congratulation to Johan Selin!
