# sign language poetry **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 5, 2001, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sign-language-poetry/53255 "2001-02-05T21:21:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![infinitii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e8c25b/32.png) [@infinitii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/infinitii)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2001, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sign-language-poetry/53255/1 "2001-02-05T21:21:47Z")
i am not deaf and do not know any deaf people personally, but i just became curious as to whether there is an equivalent to poetry in sign language or not? i mean, it is a language and so it might have some equivalent to rhythm, rhyme, etc… does anyone have any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Phobos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Phobos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phobos)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2001, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sign-language-poetry/53255/2 "2001-02-05T21:52:42Z")
Interesting question. My brother is deaf but I have never seen any poetry that is solely based on sign language. I would not be surprised if ‘deaf poetry’ exists somewhere (i.e., a deaf person who writes/creates poetry without a direct understanding of a hearing-language’s rhyme & meter). Of course, direct translation of spoken/written word to sign is entirely possible and I betcha that when signed by a ‘poetic’ deaf person, an additional artistic/visual flair is incorporated. Sign language itself is already very expressive. ---
**Author:** ![smaft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c2a13f/32.png) [@smaft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smaft)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2001, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sign-language-poetry/53255/3 "2001-02-05T23:19:06Z")
ASL poetry has existed within the Deaf community for years; research and documentation is only fairly recent. Check out: [http://www.georgetown.edu/research/i2/asl/](http://www.georgetown.edu/research/i2/asl/) [http://depts.gallaudet.edu/public.relations/otg/990428/aslpoetry.htm](http://depts.gallaudet.edu/public.relations/otg/990428/aslpoetry.htm) I’ve always been fascinated by it, too- handshapes working like rhyme, movement creates meter, etc. Seems more expressive than much of the poetry I’ve come across! ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2001, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sign-language-poetry/53255/4 "2001-02-05T23:41:46Z")
Obviously, it can’t have qualities that sound words have but it has its own song & poetry under it’s own definitions of ASL as a language. ASL poems are very tricky to write down on paper. It’s probably possible with SignWriting. ---
**Author:** ![infinitii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e8c25b/32.png) [@infinitii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/infinitii)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2001, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sign-language-poetry/53255/5 "2001-02-06T01:11:25Z")
thanks guys this seems to be one of those subjects that no one seems to hear about and that only a place like this could answer a question on. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Pinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dr.Pinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Pinky)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2001, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sign-language-poetry/53255/6 "2001-02-06T01:28:48Z")
Actually, I wrote an ASL poem that I performed on local public radio last Saturday. It depended on a visual pun on the sign for “all night.” The emcee asked if I’d like to translate it for the listening audience, and I declined…