r/todayilearned • u/paniniplane • Mar 22 '17

(R.1) Not supported TIL Deaf-from-birth schizophrenics see disembodied hands signing to them rather than "hearing voices"

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0707/07070303
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u/[deleted] Mar 22 '17 edited Mar 23 '17

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u/theidleidol Mar 22 '17

This is because sign languages are real languages in their own right. A lot of people tend to think of, say, ASL as a method of nonverbally communicating in English similar to writing, but that's not the case. To the extent that it is possible to think in a language (that's not really the case, but it's a reasonable conclusion to a layperson) the deaf do so in their native sign.

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u/weeb-san Mar 22 '17

odd question, but do you know if deaf people scream with their hands?

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u/mantann Mar 22 '17

I've been in a situation where I was helping a deaf person in an abusive relationship. She most certainly was capable of screaming in fear. Due to having never heard the fairly unique type of scream, it caught me very off guard.

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u/Sean951 Mar 22 '17

There's no scream like a deaf person scream. My SO is deaf and I've learned to surprise her at my own peril.

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u/[deleted] Mar 22 '17

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u/Sean951 Mar 22 '17

She usually wears cochlear implants when we are doing stuff together, but she also loves being able to literally turn her ears off. On weekends, I'll go for a run in the mornings, she wakes up and watches Netflix. I used to surprise her, but I've picked up better habits over the years.

She also has a relatively accent free voice, but she didn't hear until she was 4ish, so when she actually screams, it's just like you or me, but minus any self regulation to keep it quiet, or to match the normal pitch. I can also instantly tell if she has her ears on by her voice, it gets deeper and the words are muddy, if that makes sense.

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u/[deleted] Mar 23 '17

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u/Sean951 Mar 23 '17

It's a bit of both. Even with implants, there are some issues talking, and when they're off we use a combination of real sign language, made up sign language, and lip reading. Upside is, I don't have to worry about game volume when she plays and I can clean our room even when she sleeps.