In full preparation for his new album, rapper Erremsi is never far from his work partner, Elodia Mottot. Right next door, the young woman is practicing chansigner, that is to say translating the artist's texts into French sign language. Erremsi is known in the deaf community for offering bilingual music videos and concerts for years. The 33-year-old artist is the child of two deaf parents, as some of his song lyrics illustrate: "I was laughed at at school when I answered with signs. You think that's funny, well, come on. we exchange !"

"Whether my concerts are signed, performed or singed today is something very strong from a super personal point of view because I feel like I can share my music with my parents, so that 'is my personal point. Being from the signing community, I feel like I belong, "explains the 33-year-old artist.

The pair will soon perform in concert. Rehearsals are therefore essential for the LSF translation to follow the rhythm of the music. "We think that the line of signs can only be done with the hands. And this is a big flaw because sometimes even in the picture, on TV, we only focus on the hands whereas if we focus only on that, we will not understand anything ", specifies Elodia Mottot. In addition to the movements of the hands, take into account the expressions of the face, the posture of the shoulders, or the direction of the gaze.

Elodia has been an LSF interpreter for ten years. In addition to her work, she campaigns on social networks to deconstruct certain clichés. "We thought that not having a voice was synonymous with not being intelligent. In reality, sign languages ​​are very, very rich, very complex languages, which can be understood like any other vocal language."

Like Erremsi or Elodia, Ozzie, fourteen, and Hanaé, seven, are hearing children of deaf parents. LSF is their mother tongue and the one they always used to communicate with their mother, Lila Bensebaa. For the latter, the use of sign language is essential. "If my children used only oral language, there would surely be things in terms of vocabulary that could be an obstacle in understanding. There it allows to communicate, to have more fluidity with sign language", explains- she does.

The use of the LSF often attracts attention and curiosity.

But Ozzie says he's proud to master this little-known language.

“Sometimes I get very weird looks. For example, when we go to restaurants with my mother and sister, they don't understand that we speak sign language so they try to speak to us in English. not understand that it is sign language ".

At home too, of course, discussions are conducted in LSF.

Meals take place in unusual silence.

"Mom is adamant against speaking between us in French, because it bothers her that she does not understand our conversations," says Ozzie.

This essential communication for their mother. When Lila was born in 1979, sign language had only been authorized for two years in France. During his schooling, the LSF is therefore still little practiced, even non-existent. "I had to learn to oral, with speech therapy sessions, it was very, very long. The luck I had is that there was another little girl in my class, whose parents were deaf. and used sign language with her. Thanks to her, I discovered this language at the age of 6. I really realized at that time how important it was, that it allowed 'to have interactions. It was not just an oral language that I repeated and where I had to constantly try to guess what I was being told.was exhausting. "

It is only since 1991 that families can choose bilingual LSF-French education for the education of their deaf child. Within the walls of the National Institute for Deaf Youth in Paris, 130 hearing-impaired children attend school. Among them, Emma, ​​a 4th year student, who notably follows the history course in sign language. "If the teacher spoke and gave his oral lessons, while I am deaf, it would not be suitable for me. Sign language is fine for me," she says. His friend Adam, 13, adds: "Since I have been in a bilingual class, things are going well, it's nice, we have quality exchanges."

Sandy Sabaté has been a history teacher for 15 years. Its educational objectives are exactly the same as in the hearing classes, only the form is different. "For example, we cannot ask young people to take notes at the same time as they are listening to the course because the listening is done with the eyes. We must therefore separate the two at the level of the construction of the course. has additional linguistic work, because the class is conducted in sign language, but students must also have access to information in written French. This is why we speak of a bilingual class. The concepts must be acquired simultaneously in both languages. " 

These bilingual classes are still an exception in France.

Today, less than 10% of deaf young people have access to sign language education.

This is due to both a lack of qualified personnel and a poor command of LSF, with only a third of the deaf community able to sign fluently.

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