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| - Cardassian sign language is a gestural form of communication used by the Cardassian species, and is a language in its own right separate from the spoken Cardăsda language. While an official version exists for use in military and government functions, multiple idioms and dialects exist in practice, some influenced to a greater degree by Cardăsda than others. Cultural unity policies by the Cardassian government, however, prevent too much divergence, so most of these dialects remain mutually intelligible.
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| abstract
| - Cardassian sign language is a gestural form of communication used by the Cardassian species, and is a language in its own right separate from the spoken Cardăsda language. While an official version exists for use in military and government functions, multiple idioms and dialects exist in practice, some influenced to a greater degree by Cardăsda than others. Cultural unity policies by the Cardassian government, however, prevent too much divergence, so most of these dialects remain mutually intelligible. This was not the case in Hebitian days, nor is it in the modern Sigils and Unions: Catacombs of Oralius AU; local languages and dialects continue to flourish even with the existence of the "common sign language," as Cardassian sign language is referred to in that universe. Like any full-fledged sign language it serves as the primary mode of communication for some Cardassians considered to be hearing- or speech- impaired, it has also enjoyed an unusual degree of use among Cardassians with normal hearing and speech capabilities in situations where speech is considered impractical or undesirable. In fact, all Cardassians who serve in the Guard are trained in the language and are generally fluent, which means that a large percentage of the population is familiar with it. (Star Trek: Sigils and Unions--The Thirteenth Order) This is largely due to the Cardassian sense of hearing. While their hearing is adequate enough for most purposes and Cardassians therefore speak as their primary mode of communication, they are not as able to pick out subtle sounds such as whispering, or to sort out coherent information from high ambient noise levels. (DS9: "Distant Voices") This means that sometimes, rather than trying to shout over the noise (other than, perhaps, to call someone's name to get their attention), or to whisper, a Cardassian with normal hearing will sometimes choose to sign instead, to avoid miscommunication. Before first contact, and amongst themselves, Cardassians thought nothing unusual of this split mode of communication; cultural attitudes towards sign, even in pre-spaceflight days, were always significantly different from those on some worlds such as Earth given the hearing population's use of the language. Sign language was not simply the province of the deaf, but also of those who held jobs where speech could not always serve reliably--a thing of everyday use or at least a part of one's cultural landscape for hearing as well as deaf. In pre-Union days, before the language standardization that affected both spoken and signed language, every Cardassian ethnic group had its own form of sign language. In modern times, however, the prominence of the Cardassian sign language is not well known outside of the Cardassian Union due to the fact that many Cardassians believe that it would be perceived by others as a sign of weakness to show the degree to which their overall society uses sign language: suggesting a relative sensory deficit is something they feel makes them look vulnerable in the eyes of their enemies. Similarly, for other species to bring up the commonality of its use could be regarded--depending on the parties to the conversation--as an insult to the Cardassian race. However, exceptions have been made in cases where great trust has been established with non-Cardassians, such as in the case of the human Lt. Cdr. Makis Spirodopoulos and the other members of the combined rebel force, the Thirteenth Order.
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