Librarian
Introduction
If you are just getting started with ASL you might be interested to know that according to Gallaudet University's Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, American Sign Language (ASL) is "visual language used by members of the North American Deaf community" that has "its own unique rules of grammar and style." The center notes that "the shape, placement, and movement of the hands, as well as facial expressions and body movement, all play an important role in conveying information." Like other languages "signed languages develop naturally in their own regions or countries." ASL is not a universal language spoken by all people who are deaf just as English is not a universal language spoken by all peoples of the world.
More about sign language from Gaulladet University Library.
More about American Sign Language from the National Institute on Deafness & Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD).