To international sign or not to international sign? That is the question
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While thinking of signed languages as a collective “international language” is wrong, this misconception contains a grain of truth: Signed languages seem to allow communication across language boundaries to a degree that is inconceivable in spoken languages. Not surprisingly, this unique linguistic fact has long been part of the heritage of Deaf people, who take pride in being an international community. Transnational communication, as practiced by Deaf people, has come to be known as International Sign (IS). While IS lacks the differentiation and efficiency of well-established national sign languages, it is uniquely successful in allowing Deaf people to overcome linguistic borders, allowing for the development of a sense of connectedness between Deaf people of different origins.