“Different cultures and languages make life interesting. It makes us all unique.”
Tom Scott regularly features other creators on his channel, and his latest guest is none other than Rikki Poynter, a deaf vlogger who creates content in both British and American Sign Language.
Sign language is still a widely misunderstood thing even today, and there’s a lot more to it than people think. With the amount of countries in the world and the amount of languages spoken, sign language has different variants all over the globe. The two most commonly known sign languages are British Sign Language (BSL) and American Sign Language (ASL).
“There are actually about more than 300 sign languages in the entire world,” Rikki explains in the video, taking us through a number of them. “Even all English-speaking countries don’t share the same sign language.”
However, there is an exception: she later shares with us that “there is this thing called International Sign or IS. This is typically used in big events where deaf people from all over gather.”
As different as the various sign languages used around the world are, she also points out that there are a number of similarities, such as the sign for “I’m sorry” being the same in both ASL and BSL, while also mentioning that the same sign can have different meanings in different sign languages.
Rikki’s own channel focuses on her experiences with being deaf and talking about sign language, as well as vlogging about her life.
Want more?
Read about our Video Spotlight on Em Ford revisiting her video You Look Disgusting. Alternatively, if you’re looking for a new channel to watch, check out our Channel Spotlight on Edu-tuber Maddie Moate.
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