Chapter 1
Sign languages as natural languages
What are the differences between pantomime and sign languages?
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Pantomime involves the whole body while sign languages (with few exceptions) primarily use the hands, upper body, and face/head.
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Pantomime involves all the space around the body: sign languages use the (more restricted) signing space.
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Pantomime has no grammar: sign languages do.
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Pantomime is not clearly linked to a particular group of people; sign languages are used within a linguistic community.