Many Users of Spoken Languages Consider Sign Languages "Artificial," Not

question 16

Essay

Many users of spoken languages consider sign languages "artificial," not "natural".   Discuss the basis of this belief, and, using the tools of linguistic anthropology, identify the support for the idea that sign languages may be natural languages.

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Definitions:

Declaration Of Independence

A document adopted on July 4, 1776, in which the thirteen American colonies declared their independence from British rule.

Battle Of Bunker Hill

The first major battle of the American Revolutionary War, fought on June 17, 1775, primarily on and around Breed's Hill, during which the British succeeded in taking the hill but suffered significant losses.

Counter-electromotive Force

The voltage generated by a motor or inductor in opposition to the applied voltage, acting as a limiting factor in the flow of current.

Back-EMF

See counter-EMF.