Originally Posted by jillio

Yes, certain signs will vary from region to region just as spoken dialects will vary from region to region. And if I am having a conversation with a deaf individual who prefers an English syntax, I will sign in English syntax. If I am having a conversation with a deaf individual who prefers an ASL syntax, I willsign using an ASL syntax. But SEE doesn't change just the syntax, it fundamentally changes the language. For instance, finger spelling -ed on the end of a sign to signify past tense. In a visual language, past tense is conveyed either through context or through time markers. The same with plurals. A plural in a signed language is conveyed either through context or by repeating the sign. However, while repeating "tree, tree, tree" makes sense in a visual medium, one does not say "tree, tree, tree" when speaking, but simply pronounces the "s" on the end of the word. These are the differences that make ASL a language separate from English, and not simply another mode of English, and are the very criteria that were used by Stokoe is his research on ASL that led to it being designated a true language.