American Sign Language

A complete, natural language with its own grammar, syntax, and vocabulary, expressed through hand shapes, facial expressions, and body movements, used primarily by Deaf communities in the United States and parts of Canada. ASL is not a signed version of English—it has distinct linguistic structures including spatial grammar, classifiers, and non-manual markers. ASL is a primary or preferred language for many Deaf individuals, which has important implications for accessibility since English-based captions represent a second language for ASL-native viewers.