British and American Sign Language differ in several fundamental ways. One of the key differences is in how letters are formed. British Sign Language uses two hands to finger spell the alphabet where as American Sign Language only uses one. This in itself would make the letters of one system virtually unrecognizable to someone who uses the other. Although American Sign Language and British Sign Language are not compatible, American Sign Language has a roughly 60 similarity to French Sign Language. In 1817 Reverend Thomas Gallaudet opened the first institution solely for the purpose of educating the deaf in the United States. Rev. Gallaudet had traveled to Europe to learn the best method for teaching the deaf and while there he studied at the Institution Nationale des Sourds-Muets Paris. He later convinced one of its faculty to return with him to teach at what is now known as the American School for the Deaf. Gallaudet’s son founded the first college for the deaf and it is from these schools that American Sign Language as we know it today developed.

Other differences in the two languages stem from the inherent differences between the American and British spoken languages. Although technically both are considered English, the languages differ in both grammar and syntax. Although American Sign Language uses many English words they are not used in the same sentence structures and quite often not in the same context. The two sign languages also differ in dialect. There are just as many different dialects in the deaf community as there are in the spoken language community. Dialects can differ from area to area and by ethnic makeup of the speakers. Just as a speaker from the Deep South would have extreme difficulty conversing with someone with a strong Cockney accent, so too are the differences between British Sign Language and American Sign Language.