#pidgin languages

PSE (Pidgin Signed English) is using signs from a formal Sign Language to communicate, WITHOUT following the “rules” of that language such as grammar and syntax. Here’s a demo of what that could look like:

A sentence in American Sign Language: CAT BROWN WHERE? (here we’re following ASL grammar rules like putting adjectives after nouns, putting question words at the end, and totally eliminating articles like “the” or “a,” and passive verbs like “is”).

The same sentence in Pidgin Signed English: WHERE IS BROWN CAT? (Here you’re using a little bit of ASL’s grammar rules by getting rid of the word “the,” but for the most part you’re still sticking to an English sentence structure; it’s a Pidgin language because you’re mixing in some ASL rules with some English rules, so it’s neither PURE ASL or PURE Signed Exact English).

Now I don’t want to totally knock PSE, because it is valuable for a lot of people, such as:

Non-deaf people who need a visual language to communicate (this could be because of autism, selective mutism, problems making/understanding oral language. etc.; literally anything where you're still surrounded by English but depend on signs to communicate)

Places where Deaf communities and hearing communities naturally blend together so the languages will blend as well (churches, for example)

Places where Deaf people invite ASL students to come talk to them, even if they’re still learning ASL and struggle with the grammar

So what is the “thing” with PSE? The holdup, the catch? Well...people are getting lazy. Specifically, there’s a trend among the ASL learning communities to just stop at PSE, and to act like they’ve mastered the language once they’ve picked out the parts they ‘like’ about it (i.e., the actual signs), and have thrown out all the hard stuff like grammar and visual expression. You can see this especially on YouTube, where some of the most popular musical interpreters proudly present you songs signed in PSE or even Signed Exact English (SEE), even though they’ve been studying the language for years, are supposedly getting degrees in Deaf related studies (interpretation, Deaf culture, Deaf education, etc.), and basically have had the time and resources to at least TRY to work their way closer to “true” ASL, and simply don’t. 

On the flip side of that coin, we see song interpreters who really take the time to create beautiful ASL interpretations, have shown a dedication to learning the language in its truest form even if they make mistakes, AND ARE OFTEN ACTUALLY DEAF, however they NEVER amass as big of a following as those who just don’t show that same kind of dedication and passion to ASL and in turn Deaf culture. And yet those people with massive followings and purposefully underdeveloped language skills tend to be the figureheads of the ASL learning community even though they have no business being so. And let’s all be honest, that’s kind of messed up!

If I were to liken it to other languages, someone learning Chinese wouldn’t be “allowed” to just give up on learning vowel tones just because “it’s hard.” They can STRUGGLE with it, sure! They can make a million mistakes a day, and that’s completely okay because they’re still learning! But would it be okay for them to just say, “I’m not going to bother with the tones because I don’t like them.”? No, it wouldn’t! Because they have no right to sift through someone else’s language and culture just to pick out the fun/easy parts, especially if they’re coming from a place of privilege.

Now if you are trying to learn the language and often revert back to PSE because you’re struggling, that’s okay! You’re not the person I’m talking about in this post! Vocabulary is honestly the easiest part of any language, so it’s likely that you’ll build a whole repertoire of signs you can use in conversation long before you’ve got the grammar down pat; thus when you actually start using those signs, it WILL be PSE! As long as you do work on mastering all the little nuances of ASL that make it distinct from English, even if it takes you a very long time and you choose to take your time with it, you’re doing a whole lot better than someone who just picks and chooses through a language and culture, and then somehow becomes a spokesperson for it.

See also: 

http://www.uni-leipzig.de/service/kommunikation/medienredaktion/nachrichten.html?ifab_modus=detail&ifab_uid=251dbb5e5220170905105719&ifab_id=7402

http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=34340 

http://sci-hub.bz/10.1038/s41562-017-0192-4