I was at the inaugural meeting of the Myanmar Disabled People's Association. We had to use 3 different types of sign language, as the Mandalay  Deaf School Alumni and the Yangon School alumni found it very hard to talk to each other. 3rd group I think were using the Japanese Deaf group attempt to standardize sign language. Same problem in Vietnam of sign languages evolving from schools .

 

Deaf find lip reading not that useful when others are using a language that is tonal . Even if they get the word, it can have up to five different meanings in Thai, up to six in Vietnamese..

@Mowlem, thank you very much for your contribution to this discussion, especially your comment about the problems between Yangon and Mandalay sign languages.

 

I guess it is similar to conversation in mixed language families.  My Thai/Issan family would chat with me in a mixture of Issan, Thai and English words in the same sentence ==> our own 'micro-language'.

 

Certainly, lip-reading a tonal language will be more difficult than a non-tonal language, although the context of the overall sentence can help with the understanding of which tone is used on a word. You could always use your hand to indicate high, low, rising etc tone.

 

Do you have any more details about the status of deaf sign language in Myanmar? One of my responsibilities here in Naypyidaw is to try to ensure that all young students receive the same opportunities in education, regardless of any physical or learning difficulty issues. (I am certified as a Speech & Language Specialist, as well as a Special Educational Needs SEN teacher).

 

For example, do you know if the deaf sign languages used in Myanmar bear a resemblance to any other sign languages, such as British Sign Language (BSL)? - There could be a relationship, due to Burma history.  But I'm not sure if the Myanmar deaf communities had an established, comprehensive sign language when the Brits were in Burma.

 

I appreciate the input from all posters :)

 

 

Very interesting topic Simon !
A pleasure to read .