Re: "Sinners" To Debut On Max As First Show With "Black American Sign Language" Translation

On Wed, 16 Jul 2025 19:59:24 -0700, Arthur Lipscomb
<arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:

On 7/2/2025 9:58 AM, shawn wrote:

On Wed, 2 Jul 2025 16:22:07 -0000 (UTC), BTR1701 <atropos@mac.com>
wrote:
 

On Jul 2, 2025 at 1:30:48 AM PDT, "Ubiquitous" <weberm@polaris.net> wrote:
>

On July 4th, the movie SINNERS will become the first show to be interpreted
into "Black American Sign Language (BASL)," per a press release from Warner
Bros.
>
The entertainment company described it as "a major step forward in
accessibility, representation, and visibility in streaming."
>
"BASL is a distinct dialect of American Sign Language (ASL) with its own
dynamic history and unique grammar, signing space, rhythm, facial
expressions, and cultural nuances," the release stated. "For the first time,
the black deaf community will have streaming access to a more immersive
experience in their language. Max subscribers, who sign in ASL but are
unfamiliar with this dialect, will also be able to follow along with this
interpretation."

>
Oh my god. They actually made sign language ebonics.
>

 
So this is something that didn't exist so there is no base of people
who know it.

>
I see this type of stuff posted in this group all the time and I usually
just ignore.  But I'm bored so I'm going to speak up.
>
Black Sign language has existed since the 19th century.  The reason it
exists is because White people refused to let Black people attend
schools with them.  This was called segregation.  One of the results of
segregation was separate schools for Black deaf people which resulted in
divergent sign language.

Never heard of it before and there's really no reason why I or most of
us would have. Ah, there is yet another reason we haven't heard of
BSL. Apparently BSL refers to British Sign Language. The correct term
for Black Sign Language apparently is BASL because Black Sign Language
is closely related with BASL being based on ASL.

Two-handed signing: BASL signers tend to use two hands more frequently
than in standard ASL.
Hand Placement: BASL signs are often placed higher on the body, closer
to the forehead, compared to standard ASL.
Signing Space: BASL generally uses a larger signing space than
standard ASL.
Facial Expressions: BASL signers often use more pronounced facial
expressions to convey meaning and emotion.
Lexical Differences: While most vocabulary is shared, BASL has
developed some unique signs and variations for certain words and
phrases, sometimes reflecting African American Vernacular English
(AAVE).