Sign Language is a beautiful and expressive language that uses shape, placement, and movement of hands to communicate with deaf and hard of hearing people through concepts or ideas.
They also rely on the movement of arms, body, and facial expressions to share emotional and grammatical information.
It requires constant eye contact with a person who is signing.
It can be a whole different experience for you because you use your ears instead of your eyes.
Who Came Up With It?
There were many groups of deaf and hard of hearing people throughout history. One of the earliest “written” records was from the fifth century BC thanks to Socrates with his quote,
If we hadn’t a voice or a tongue, and wanted to express things… wouldn’t we try to make signs by moving our hands, head, and the rest of our body…?
Isn’t this cool? However, many people believe that either:
- Juan Pablo de Bonet invented sign language in 1620. It was due to a book that came with the first known manual alphabet “system.” However, some have pointed out that it was not the first manual alphabet (e.g., fingerspelling).
- Deaf people who lived on Martha’s Vineyard developed sign language known as Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language (MVSL) off the coast of Massachusetts in the 17th century.
- Others believed Abbe Charles Michel de L’Epee was the person who came up with sign language in 1771. He started the first free public school for the deaf in Paris and educated them with French Sign Language (Langue Des Signes Française – LSF) that eventually spread throughout Europe.
We don’t know for sure, but let’s fast forward to American Sign Language (ASL). It was built with the combination of “home-made” signs and French Sign Language.
ASL happened to gain traction in the 19th century in the American School for the Deaf (ASD) in Connecticut.
It all began when Thomas Gallaudet, a preacher, decided to research specific methods for educating the deaf after meeting his neighbor’s deaf child, Alice. He decided to go to Paris and brought Laurent Clerc (a deaf teacher) back to start the ASD.
Why Use It?
It is an essential communication tool and has changed their lives for the better! It helps anyone communicate through any situation like:
- A “private” discussion in public
- Hold a conversation from a distance without yelling or screaming
- Communicate through the glass without looking funny
- Signing with food in mouth closed
- At a loud concert without bending over to hear what others are saying to your ear
- At a movie theater
- Talk underwater like scuba diving, and much more
Sign Language Isn’t Universal
American Sign Language is not a universal language as it is similar to spoken words; they also are different in other countries.
There are more than 130 different sign languages worldwide, like Quebec Sign Language, and Australian Sign Language (Auslan).
Conclusion
American Sign Language (ASL) is one of the most used languages, with over half a million deaf and hard-of-hearing people in the United States and Canada.
However, not all deaf people acquire ASL as their first language – some use it as a second language, and some don’t use it at all.
Some people believe ASL is just like English – when in reality, it’s not because of its own rules with syntax and grammar.
It has become more popular recently as it has climbed up to the third most used language in the United States!
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