I know next to nothing about sign language, unfortunately. I was wondering how technical could you get with the hand signing? Could you, for example, teach somebody about a car engine works with sign language? Quantum physics? I know it’d be more practical to write it down, but hypothetically speaking…
Wow! All the answers I’ve received so far are great. I had no idea ‘ASL’ had such depth. Very interesting.
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I took ASL in college and it is as complex as any language. I never got fluent enough to discuss quantum physics (nor would I be able to discuss it in English, at least not intelligently lol) but I’m sure it’s possible. If there’s no sign for a word, its English equivalent can always be “fingerspelled”.
If you signed fluently and understood quantum physics, you could discuss it with someone equally competent.
I am fluent in ASL and although I am hearing, I use it more than I use spoken English.
I am in graduate school, taking Ph.D. level classes (such as neuroscience). All my classes are in ASL, and we frequently discuss topics those complex in ASL.
I don’t know much about engines or quantum physics, but yes, it is absolutely possible to sign about those topics if your knowledge base allows.