in 1977 to prepare interpreters for the 5th World Conference on Deafness. Sponsored by the Danish Association of the Deaf and the University of Copenhagen, the course was designed by Robert M. Ingram and taught by Betty L. Ingram, two American interpreters of deaf parents. The name Gestuno has fallen out of use, and the phrase International Sign is now more commonly used in English to identify this variety of sign. This may be because current IS has little in common with the signs published under the name Gestuno. Description International Sign has been described as a highly variable type of signed communication used between two signers who lack a common sign language. Most experts do not technically consider IS to be a full language, but rather a form of communication that arises on the spot. It is characterized by a focus on iconic or pantomimic structures; IS signers may also point to nearby objects. While some degree of standardization takes place at events such WFD and the European Union of the Deaf, it is limited to vocabulary, not grammar. There is no consensus on what International Sign is exactly. It may either refer to the way strangers sign with each other when they lack a common sign language, or it can refer to a conventionalized form used by a group of people with regular contact. The use of the term International Sign might also lead to the misconception that it is a standardized form of communication. Deaf people typically know only one sign language. Signers from differing countries may use IS spontaneously with each other, with relative success. This communicative success is linked to various factors. First, people who sign in IS have a certain amount of shared contextual knowledge. Secondly, signers may take advantage of shared knowledge of a spoken language, such as English. Thirdly, communication is made easier by the use of iconic signs and pantomime. Vocabulary The lexicon of International Sign is made by negotiation between signers. IS signers reportedly use a set of signs from their own national sign language mixed with highly iconic signs that can be understood by a large audience. Many, not to say most, signs are taken from American Sign Language during the past 30 years. In 1973, a committee created and standardized a system of international signs. They tried to choose the most understandable signs from diverse sign languages to