Definition of sign language Sign language

sign lan•guage

We found 8 definitions of sign language from 5 different sources.

What does sign language mean?

Noun
sign language - language expressed by visible hand gestures
		signing
		linguistic communication, language the mental faculty or power of vocal communication; "language sets homo sapiens apart from all other animals"
		finger spelling, fingerspelling an alphabet of manual signs
		american sign language, asl the sign language used in the United States

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sign language (Noun)
One of several natural language s, typically used by the deaf, where the words and phrases consist of hand shapes, motions, positions, and facial expressions.
sign language (Noun)
The sign language sense 1 that is used locally or that is mistakenly believed to be the only one.
sign language (Noun)
Sign languages sense 1 considered collectively.
sign language (Noun)
Communication through gestures used when speech is impossible, for example, between monks under a vow of silence or people speaking different languages.

sign language
A language in which the communication occurs through gestures and facial expressions.

sign language
A pantomimic system of communicating ideas, extensively used by North American Indians. The range of its use is not exactly known, but it is common among all the tribes of the plains and many of those beyond the Rocky Mountains. It is in one sense the court language of the Indians, being the only means of communication between tribes not speaking a common dialect. According to Gen. Marcy, it is accurately used and perfectly understood by all the Indians from the Gila to the Columbia. The same author tells a remarkable story, which seems to show that the system is very nearly, if not exactly, the same as that used in teaching mutes in deaf and dumb asylums.

Sign language is a language where hands, body movements, and faces are used to "talk" with other people. Most different countries have their own sign language.