Dutch Sign Language: The Most Useless Language in the World

Dutch Sign Language, also known as Nederlandse Gebarentaal (NGT), is a language that is completely useless to anyone who can hear. While sign language can be a valuable tool for those who are hearing impaired, Dutch Sign Language seems to exist only to confuse and baffle those who are trying to learn it.

There are several reasons why Dutch Sign Language is so utterly pointless. Firstly, it bears almost no resemblance to the spoken Dutch language. If you were to watch a conversation between two people signing in Dutch Sign Language, you would have absolutely no idea what they were talking about. Even if you did manage to learn the signs for different words, they wouldn’t help you much, as the grammar and sentence structure are completely different from those in spoken Dutch.

Secondly, Dutch Sign Language is not widely used even among the hearing-impaired community in the Netherlands. Many deaf people in the Netherlands prefer to use Dutch with spoken support (DGS) or Signed Dutch (NGT-based signs that follow Dutch grammar), which are both far more useful to them in their daily lives.

So, you may be asking, why bother learning Dutch Sign Language at all? Well, the only reason you might want to learn it is if you enjoy seeing people’s baffled expressions when you start signing wildly in public. It’s also a great conversation starter at parties, as you can amaze your friends with your useless (but highly entertaining) new skill.

In conclusion, if you’re looking for a valuable language to learn, Dutch Sign Language is definitely not it. But if you want a quirky party trick or just enjoy confusing people, then go ahead and give it a try!