Writing sign language

[Hannah F]

My fae are shapeshifters. The ones who are non-vocal in animal form (e.g, butterfly) are non-verbal in their human-like form and sign. Do I use BSL for a British audience and ASL for an American audience or stick to ASL because it is more visually descriptive (if that makes sense) (the one that's used for e.g. chimps and Orangs who can sign) or make up my own fae sign language. At the moment (first draft), I'm making up a very mime-like one in the hope that readers (teen/YA) will be able to imagine it. My protagonist does her best to interpret it, and when she meets a verbal fae (parrot in animal form), the fae "translates" for her. (They don't have lexicon boards or smartphones with emojis so I can't use either to make life easier for myself).

I am thinking more in favour of what I'm doing, reasoning why would fae know either ASL or BSL? On the other hand, the verbal ones do speak English (or whatever language I might require for the readership).

I will eventually use a signing sensitivity reader (a few drafts further down the line), but are any of you signers? Or do you know one? All opinions will help, and opinions from people who sign will be very useful.

Thanks

 

[Brayati]

Even within the deaf/mute society, there are 'traders' (border) languages, and some people are multi-lingual. What other types of visual languages are there? Butterflies and semaphore? Or something like morse for those with multiple feet. Music or song, blinking of eyes (especially if they have many eyes!). Limiting it to human communication, how many languages are there in the world? Now think in terms of the fae creatures, non-human, and how they communicate with each other. The world of animal language awaits! And it gives an excuse to need an interpreter more often than not, because not all creatures use the same form or structure of language, let alone physical actions (how can a butterfly sign? Yes, the non-verbal human form can sign, but would they prefer to comm in the same way of their chosen form?).

 

[Dorm Ant]

Could base it on Makaton?

 

[RK Wallis]

I am thinking more in favour of what I'm doing, reasoning why would fae know either ASL or BSL?

I think you've answered your own question. The animals have never been to earth, have they? If you use something from our world, it'll lessen the rich world you're creating.

 

[BrianY]

Back in the days when I myself studied ASL in college, there were several writing systems for it and you shouldn't use any of them. Why? They're for linguists. Deaf Americans who write do so in current, written languages; typically English or Spanish.

Invent your own! If The Lord of the Rings can have its own spoken language, you can have your own sign language.

 

[MattScho]

Interesting. Question, will you be including drawings? If you are, that's a kind of brilliant thing, though no idea how to pull that off, especially as the characters will be fae, and there isn't a lot of existing art to use of Fae hands signing.
If you're not, then you'd have the rather odd issue of a translator describing , letter by letter or symbol by symbol "they've got their hand in a fist, palm to us, with the thumb on the outside, so that means A, now they're doing another thing, that means Y."
I've worked with hundreds of translators (also married one), and none of them have ever, intentionally, repeated a phrase, "they said this, it means that." Instead, they just translate.
Because of this, I think making up your own language actually works best. you do what we do when we're having a character speak through a translator, occassionaly a word (image) in the language in which it was given, but most of it post translation.

 

[Hannah F]

I'm definitely not doing a sign alphabet (even though I know the BSL one). Far too complicated to write - will kill the pace and pull the reader out of the story. But thinking along the lines of e,g, ASL's "day" and "night" signs.
Can't draw for toffee so words will have to describe the pictures until the translator can take over.