Apparently, a few weeks back when Mayor Bloomberg of NYC was giving televised announcements about preparations for Hurricane Sandy, he had a sign language interpreter who quickly became an internet phenomenon. Mental Floss did a story about it, explaining:
Callis was great, but not because she was so lively and animated. She was great because she was performing a seriously difficult mental task—simultaneously listening and translating on the spot—in a high-pressure, high-stakes situation. Sure, she was expressive, but that’s because she was speaking a visual language. Signers are animated not because they are bubbly and energetic, but because sign language uses face and body movements as part of its grammar.
Read the full text here: http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/149593#ixzz2Ca4jObE7
–brought to you by mental_floss!
I hope you’ll click on the link- it’s a short read, and an excellent article explaining some of the grammatical intricacies of the language- the use of specific facial expressions, including proper eye-brow movements, body shifting, and more.
One Comment
the article was excellent, the language a little…eh, but excellent article! thanks.