The language of silence

You cannot speak a language which cannot be heard. It’s a short simple statement yet, it sounds surreal. Try it, try to teach a new word to a person without saying the word. They might guess the “correct” pronunciation, but what makes your version correct. I am impressed. Some people can draw a whole language in the air with their hands and others can reply just the same.

I don’t remember the first time I met my cousin, he was 10 years older than myself, adopted, and he was born deaf. The oldest memory I have of him is when I was 5. I don’t remember the occasion or how he looked then, but I remember that I was excited to see my cousin Emil, who was deaf. I walked outside looking for anything that wasn’t talk between the boring adults, eventually I found my cousin Emma. She was Emil’s younger sister, 4 years younger than me and adopted, but not from the same country as Emil. I talked to her for a long time, she was always good with kids, then I found myself inside the house again sitting on a sofa upstairs across from Emil. At the time I didn’t know what he looked like so didn’t know it was him. I smiled and asked politely what his name was. Emma laughed and asked me if I didn’t remember my cousin Emil. She moved her hands, and suddenly Emil looked at and chuckled with a small smile. I was baffled. My young self, thought that someone who was deaf could not understand any language. I didn’t ask into the language, I think that at the time I just openly excepted the existences of the language without asking questions. Instead I ask Emma how to ask for someone’s age. I forget the signs as quickly as I learned them however I was successful in asking for Emil’s age. He was 16.

The next week in school all I could talk about was my cousin who was deaf. Looking back, it seems immoral to use a person’s disability to boast your own popularity. I didn’t really use it for that. I was just intrigued at the existence of a language that didn’t need a voice. I puzzled myself with many questions, can I create my own language? Are there languages that don’t use your hands or voice? I was captivated. Back then I didn’t think very critically towards it, however I remember telling my parents that I know more about the world. I believed that knowing the existence of a new language improved my knowledge. I can talk to more people is what I told myself. Of course, I never learned the language, but I believe that it broadens my acceptance to other people. It doesn’t mean that I accept you as a good person. It just means that I hate you a little less from the beginning.