Learning the New Zealand Sign Language

Kia ora, *wave*, hi from windy Wellington! Did you know the land of kiwi birds and world class rugby is also home to three official languages: Te Reo Māori, English, and New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL)! As someone who studies American Sign Language (ASL) back in the States, I jumped at the opportunity to learn another sign language and immerse myself in New Zealand Deaf culture.

I would be lying if I didn't admit that my excitement was also paired with anxiety. How similar will NZSL and ASL be? What will the Deaf community like? Will I confuse the two sign languages? I decided the best course of action was to be familiar with the fingerspelling alphabet of NZSL before getting here. To my surprise the NZSL alphabet came from British Sign Language (BSL), but then again that makes sense because of the country’s history within the commonwealth of England. Did you know that there are different sign languages across the world? Even those that have the same spoken languages? Although the US, UK, and New Zealand may all say English is widely spoken, their sign languages vary greatly (not to mention the fact that a sign language isn’t a gestural translation of a spoken language). Think about all the regional dialects, vocab, and accents DC English speakers have compared to English speakers on the US west coast. Now throw in thousands of miles of ocean. All that distance, geographic isolation, and interactions with other cultures creates an entirely different sign language too.

Now I’ve been here half a trimester, getting lots of practice fingerspelling with two hands, learning sign vocabulary for new concepts like the city cable car, Māori, and island place names. The other part of immersing myself in NZSL has been engaging with New Zealand Deaf culture. And while it’s taken a little bit to get used to the new signing mechanics and comprehending other signers, engaging with New Zealand Deaf culture has some familiarity. I don’t mean that in a universalist approach to homogenize Deaf culture, but it makes sense that all Deaf people are experiencing a similar lack of sound and therefore more visual and communal spaces end up having similar micro-cultures (i.e. gathering in wide-open spaces that have good sightline opportunities, tapping shoulders, switching lights, an/or waving to signal attention, taking pride in a tight-knit community that is highly involved in the development of access to their sign language, etc.).

I was excited to learn about all the ways the university holds space for the Deaf community through NZSL. Just last week I felt very privileged to be invited to weekly Deaf coffee chats at the university lounge. The event functions as a recurring opportunity for the signing community to be built, stay connected, and polish their skills amongst students, tutors, and lecturers through casual conversation. It takes the pressure off of tense classroom settings where I’ve certainly experienced anxiety around grammar construction, a grade, or criticism from classmates. But there everyone is so welcoming and patient. It was also kind of fun to have chats with upper level NZSL students just as curious about differences between ASL and NZSL! The exact same questions I had!

At GW we’re lucky enough to have ASL courses, club events, but we also have access to all of Washington, DC as a Deaf hub, filled with Gallaudet alumni, Deaf community spaces, and Deaf-owned businesses. That makes the whole city an excellent classroom. It has been incredibly energizing to see Wellington’s (also a capital city) role as a Deaf hub in New Zealand. I’ve learned about the NZSL Bill passed in 2006 and the creation of NZSL Week to encourage and give visibility to the community on a large-scale.

I’ve met so many amazing peers who want to learn NZSL for a variety of reasons. It’s great to see so many hearing students want to engage with their local Deaf community and support. Just over the past year intro to NZSL at Victoria University of Wellington has doubled in size to seventy students! I feel really lucky to be a part of the number and that exposure for NZSL. I’ve still got half the trimester left to improve my skills, and I know that here and there my ASL creeps in when I’m searching for a new sign, but how cool will it be to be able to communicate with even more of the international Deaf community. Wherever you may travel I challenge you (and myself) to see if you can learn something about the local sign language community. And if you ever find yourself in New Zealand join the NZSL whānau!