Overview: 

(Note: Read the section on ASL prior to this section if you are not familiar with signed languages.)

While all signed languages involve a visual-manual aspect of representing meaning, manually coded English serves to directly translate to English vocabulary and grammar. One such sign is SEE (II) – Signed Exact English, a code that directly mirrors English and is not considered to be a language itself. SEE draws much of its vocabulary from ASL signs, but alters some to be “easier” in that the sign corresponds to the first letter of the word. The manual code also has English grammatical markers that American Sign Language lacks. SEE is much less common throughout the country, and is typically only used in Deaf-specific learning programs that provide emphasis on literacy. Much like ASL, SEE also employs parameters to fix meanings to signs:

• Handshape
• Orientation
• Location
• Movement

Note that SEE lacks a fifth parameter – non-manual markers. SEE does not typically require facial expressions or other such markers in order to convey meaning, though the facial expressions may accompany a statement regardless.

How is SEE different from ASL?

• SEE has signs for each individual morpheme (the smallest unit of meaning). This allows for easy distinguishing between “girl” and “girls,” there is a sign for plural -s. There are also signs for possessive -s, -ing, -y, -er, -able, and more, all of which ASL lacks.
• SEE assigns visual components to past tense, whereas ASL relies on context of the conversation to attribute tense.
• No facial component in SEE.
• SEE directly maps onto the English language.
• As a result, SEE is easier to learn for late-deafened children and adults who learned English as a first language.

While SEE, being a sign language, is similar to ASL in many ways, SEE does have a few unique pros and cons.

Pros and Cons: 

Pros:

• In Total Communication classrooms, SEE allows for instructors to reinforce spoken words with their equivalent signs exactly.
• Easier adjustments for families of deaf children while still being able to provide support in sign language.
• Most critically, deaf children who learn SEE are thought to perform better in reading and writing due to shared language.

Cons:

• SEE is much less common in North America, which limits effective communication with other hearing impaired people outside of the learning environment.
• Controversy regarding ASL and SEE in education. Schools are more likely to institute ASL into the curriculum due to familiarity and more resources.
• SEE is not considered to be a full-fledged language.

Manually coded English and Language Acquisition: 

Just like ASL, any sign language providing early exposure to language is typically sufficient in promoting a deaf child’s cognition and other early developmental milestones.

The same phenomenon in seen in improving language acquisition with ASL, aside from the slight difference that SEE allows for faster progress in acquiring literacy. When used in conjunction with spoken language, manual English is preferred as it is believed to have more profound effects on rate of language acquisition.

Overall, SEE assists in language acquisition with:

• Vocabulary, especially since signs can directly be represented with English
• Grammar – SEE assists in understanding syntactical rules in a way that ASL cannot. The incorporation of prefixes, suffixes, tenses, morphemes, and sometimes even punctation improves knowledge of sentences and rules of communication.
• Literacy
• Age-appropriate receptive and expressive language

In the classroom: 

SEE is unique in that it provides communication potential to the extent of reaching language on par with hearing children. SEE and other (less popular) manually coded forms of English allow direct access to grammatical English, the main goal of most deaf educators, without the transition period required with ASL.

Because SEE uses English word order, tenses, initialized signs (uses first letter of the word), new signs not developed in the ASL community, and other syntactic rules⁷, studies have shown that SEE instruction in the classroom permits deaf children to use English the same way that their hearing peers do. And since hearing children often find learning sign language to be exciting, the ease of translation makes them more likely to communicate with deaf children, improving the social atmosphere and aiding to bridge the gap between hearing and Deaf communities. Most importantly, it aids deaf children in social development⁹ and comfort in joining new communities such as a sports team.

SEE Sample Activity: 

Use sequential pictures to elicit expressive language involving the order of events. Instructors can also prompt students with “What happened next?” at the end or in between events in order to test language comprehension⁸ and understanding of time using SEE’s grammatical tense components.

Activity adapted from: Saulnier, K. L., & Miller, R. R. (1986). Signed English for the classroom. Washington, D.C.: Kendall Green Publications, Gallaudet College Press.

Notes: 

7 – Syntax; Syntax is the grammatical structure of language. Syntax is fundamental in learning to read because it involves word order, the combination of meaningful linguistic units to create a sentence, and parts of speech that convey the roles of each word. In SEE, syntax or grammar is facilitated in that it mirrors the syntax of the English language exactly. This allows for an easier transition into reading and writing.

8 – Comprehension; Comprehension is the process of decoding meaning from linguistic input, whether that be text, another method of visual stimuli, or auditory or tactile stimuli. In SEE and other sign languages the comprehension of visual movements is the equivalent to understanding a spoken response. This processing occurs in the Wernicke’s area and is critical to communicating with others and making language meaningful.

9 – Social Development; Social development is the patterns of human contact that are evident in how individuals interact with other and for what purposes. Two well known theories for social development are Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development and Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Perspective. At the microsystem level of the ecological perspective, the relationships forged with individuals in families, classroom environments, and neighborhoods all play a role in developing an individual’s interpersonal relations. By increasing access to hearing peers, SEE promotes social development for the better.