History of Sign Language and Sign Language Research

1
History of Sign Language and Sign Language
Research

• Cogs 524
• Linguistic and Cognitive Aspects of Sign Language
• Teacher Annette Hohenberger
• Co-teacher Okan Kubus

http//www.germanistik.uni-mainz.de/linguistik/bil
der/gebaerden.jpg
2
Since when do sign languages exist?

• Evolutionary speculation
• Gesture language speech (Stokoe 2001)
• It is probable that Deaf people who communicate
  by gesture or sign have existed as part of
  humanity from its inception... (Ladd 2006 296)
• From the 5th century B.C., first written reports
  of deaf people and sign language are known.
  Greek, Roman and Jewish philosophers took
  interest in signing deaf people with respect to
  human thought and behavior

3
Western Deaf communities over time

• In the Middle Ages, achievements of deaf people
  in art and business were recognized and deaf
  networks existed. The deaf used sign languages.
• Until 1880, the deaf communities and sign
  language flourished. Until that time, a positive
  view of deaf people prevailed.

4
Abbé L'Épee (1712-1789)

• In Paris, France,
• Abbé Charles Michel de L'Épee had
• founded the first school for the Deaf,
  "Institution Nationale des Sourds-Muets à Paris",
  after he had been brought two deaf sisters whose
  educator had died. He watched them communicate in
  signs, and through them became aware of a signing
  community of 200 deaf Parisians. From then on, he
  emphasized the visual-gestural modality and
  introduced the use of methodic signs.

http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles-Michel_de_l2
7C389pC3A9e
5
Abbé L'Épee

• He was influenced by Rousseau who emphasized a
  natural pedagogy. He observed the deaf children
  in his school and let them have their signs, as
  it was their nature.
• He was also influenced by Descartes' semiotic
  (sign) theory which stated that a system of signs
  existed in which any object could be arbitrarily
  combined with any sign even a manual sign, as
  he rightly concluded.
• However, he enriched the signs with grammtical
  information from spoken French.

6
Abbe de l'Épee's signe méthodique

• The methodic signs were manual gestures enriched
  with aspects of French grammar. This lead to a
  kind of 'signed French'.
• Expl indéchiffrable ('unintelligable') was
  signed with 5 signs
• interior-understand-possible-adjective-not
• However, these methodic signs were not really
  used by the deaf since they did not match the
  peculiarities of the visual-gestural modality.
  Outside the classroom, they signed LSF (Langue de
  signe Francais).

7
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet (US)
Laurent Clerc (F)

• In 1815, the American Reverend Gallaudet came to
  Paris and studied the manual educational
  techniques at Abbé l'Épee's school for the deaf.
  When he returned to the US, he was accompanied by
  a deaf pupil from this school, Laurent Clerc.
  Together, they founded the first school for the
  deaf in Hartford, Connecticut, where Laurent
  Clerc taught LSF. (McBurney, 2006).

http//clerccenter.gallaudet.edu/Literacy/MSSDLRC/
clerc/images/gallaudet.jpg
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurent_Clerc
8
ASL and LSF

• ASL has developed from LSF, they share 60 of
  signs. However, for two languages having
  developed only for about 200 years (from 1816
  onwards), this overlap is small, in terms of
  glottochronical analysis (Woll,2006).
• If two spoken languages show an overlap of 60,
  they have diverged for 1700 years already.
• Therefore, ASL must have had mixed with the
  indigenous American signs, so that it actually is
  a creole.

9
ASL inherited signs from LSF

• LSF sign AUTRE ('other'), an 'initialized'
  sign, signed with the A-handshape
• ('A' for 'autre')

Stokoe 2001 156
10
Sign language in the 19th century

• Until the end of the 19th century, Western sign
  languages had flourished and Deaf people had
  founded national organizations
• National Association of the Deaf (NAD) --gt USA
• British Deaf and Dumb Association(BDDA)--gt UK,
  later it was called only British Deaf
  Association
• Gallaudet College was founded (1867) (later
  Gallaudet University)

http//images.google.de/images?hldeqGallaudetU
niversitybtnGBilder-Suchegbv2
11
European Sign Languages in the late 18th/19th
century

• The reason for the emergence of strong deaf
  communities in Europe was the industrial
  revolution in the course of which big cities had
  developed. Schools for the deaf were founded
  where a substantial enough number of deaf
  gathered to form a sign language. (Woll 2006).
• However, industrialization also introduced the
  topics of science and progress. Deafness
  became a negative notion. It was to be changed
  for the better (Woll 2006).

12
The congress of Milano (1880)

• September 6 - 11, 1880 was a turning point in the
  history of the deaf education. Sign language
  ecucators from Europe decided to give the oralist
  method precedence over the manual method.Only the
  four American delegates were against the
  resolution.

13
The resolution of the Congress of Milano
1. The Congress, Considering
the incontestable superiority by articulation
over signs in restoring the deaf-mute to society
and giving him a fuller knowledge of language,
Declares that The oral method
should be preferred to that of signs in the
education and instruction of deaf-mutes.
2. The Congress, Considering that the
simultaneous use of speech and signs has the
disadvantage of injuring articulation and
lip-reading and the precision of ideas,
Declares that The pure oral method
should be preferred.
http//www.istc.cnr.it/mostralis/eng/pannello14.ht
m
14
Samuel Heinicke - Oral education in Germany

• After the Congress of Milano, the oral method had
  defeated the manual method. In Germany, Samuel
  Heinicke (1727-1790) disseminated the oral
  method. In Eppendorf near Leipzig, he founded the
  "Chursächsische Institut für Stumme und andere
  mit Sprachgebrechen behaftete Personen".
  ('Saxonian Institute for deaf and other
  language-handicapped persons'). His aim was to
  lead his deaf pupils to spoken language. He
  taught in spoken German. However, he also used
  signs to explain the concepts of the oral
  language.

15
Alternatives to Oralism Total communication

• When the oralist method eventually proved to have
  failed, alternative pedagogical concepts began to
  re-emerge. In the US total communication or
  simultaneous communication became popular which
  encouraged signing along with speaking. Any
  means of communication - sign language, voice,
  fingerspelling, lipreading, amplification,
  writing, gesture, visual imagery (pictures) was
  subsumed under it ( cf. http//deafness.about.com)
  .

16
Status of Sign Languages between Oralism and
Manualism

• In the US, nowadays, ASL has an unchallenged
  status as a full-blown natural language. Deaf
  signers use it for all communicative functions,
  including poetry and metaphor.
• In other Western countries, oralism prevails
  alongside manualism.

17
On the relations between SLs

• The hereditary relation between sign languages
  can be analyzed by glottochronical techniques.
  The signs in the lexicons of two sign languages
  are compared and their overlap is determined.
• One problem, however, is, that there is a
  default overlap between any two unrelated
  languages, such as BSL and Sign Language of the
  Netherlands (SLN) of about 40, due to iconic
  gestures.

18
Relations between Sign languages

• ASL LSF
• British Sign Language Irish Sign language
• German, Austrian, Swiss, Hungarian Sign Language,
  since the times of the Habsburg Empire
• German and Israeli Sign Language since Jews from
  Germany, Hungary, and Central-Europe came to
  Israel
• Swedish and Finnish Sign Language
• Japanese and Taiwan Sign Language (through
  occupation)
• BSL, South-African and Indian Sign Language,
  through colonialization and later Commonwealth.
• Australian and New Zealand Sign Language
• ASL and Nicaraguan Sign Language

19
The deaf in Turkey in the Ottoman times

• In Ladd (2006), a study of Miles (2000)
• is mentioned about the Mutes during
• the Ottoman times. From 1500 to 1700,
• many deaf were employed at the Sultan's court,
  the Serail and enjoyed a high status.
• Several Sultans preferred sign language to be
  used in their presence over spoken language.
• The mutes, like dwarfs, were considered people
  with difference and emperors liked to have them
  at court also since deaf servants could not
  pass on confidential or intimate information.

http//www.independentliving.org/docs5/mmiles2.htm
l
http//www.mesopotamia.co.uk/time/explore/images/o
ttoman.jpg
20
The deaf in Turkey signing in the seraglio

• At court, silence was a premium, so the unique
  situation arose that the deaf and their sign
  language became more appreciated as spoken
  language.
• The Sultan Ahmed I enjoys the Mutes' presence at
  table, who are entertaining him with tricks and
  sporting with each other. He pays them money for
  their service.

21
The deaf in Turkey signing in the seraglio

• George Sandys (1621) reports that Ahmed I had
  fifty mutes... borne deafe and dumbe, whereof
  some few be his daily companions the rest are
  his Pages. It is a wunderfull thing to see how
  readily they can apprehend, and relate by signes,
  even matters of great difficultie. (In Miles,
  2000).
• The Sultan Osman II (reigning 1618-1622) took so
  much delight in the mutes that he learned to sign
  and many at court followed him.

22
Deafness in Islam

• Deafness in Islamic countries is not primarily
  considered a deficit, as in Western, Christian
  cultures. Since in Islam, everything comes from
  God, deafness is also something God-given. That's
  how the same condition is treated very different,
  due to cultural and religious differences.

23
Ottoman Sign Language --gt TID?

• It is not known whether there exists a continuity
  between the old Ottoman Sign Language and modern
  TID. If so,
• ...this would make TID the oldest documented
  sign language in the world, oder than any
  documented European sign language. (Zeshan 2003)
• TID seems unrelated to any other European Sign
  Language, in particular to LSF although the
  Ottomans had close relations to France.

24
Ottoman Sign Language --gt TID?

• What happened to the mute Ottoman signers when
  the Ottoman empire broke down?
• It is an important issue for Turkish historians
  (deaf and hearing) to find out what became of
  them.
• For sign language research it is most important
  to know whether there is and if so, how much
  continuity there is between the old Ottoman and
  the modern Turkish sign language.
• --gt TID numbers?
• ? Are there more historical documents on this old
  sign language? (Zeshan, 2003)

25
Oralism in Turkey

• In 1953, oralism was introduced from Britain into
  the Turkish educational system for the Deaf.
  Before that time, a bilingual education using
  sign along with speech is attested. From this
  time, the latin-based TID fingerspelling system
  might stem, which is remarkably different from
  all other European sign language fingerspelling
  systems (Zeshan 2003).
• However, little is known about the more remote
  past.

26
Deaf organizations in Turkey

• Centralized Deaf organization
• Türkiye Isitme Engelliler Milli Federasyonu
• ('Turkish Federation of the Deaf') with head
  office in Istanbul. All members of the managing
  board as well as the president are deaf.
• There are many Deaf clubs and associations all
  over Turkey. They organize regional and national
  events, mostly in the area of sports, less so in
  culture and arts. But that may change...

27
Deaf education system in Turkey

• There are schools for the Deaf at every level
• Primary school (ilkokul)
• Secondary school (ortaokul)
• Tertiary College (lise), e.g. a boarding school
  at Kayseri. Colleges most often are
  co-educational
• At Anadolu University in Eskisehir, vocational
  training is offered

28
The history of ModernSign Language
ResearchWilliam C. Stokoe (1919-2000)

• 1960, William C. Stokoe, Professor of English at
  Gallaudet University, publishes his seminal book
• Sign Language Structure , where he first analyzed
  signs having an internal, i.e., phonological
  structure. According to Stokoe, a sign is
  composed of three internal constituents
• 1.tabula --gt position of the sign
• 2. designator --gt hand configuration
• 3. signation --gt movement or change in
  configuration (McBurney 2006)

29
The Stokoe transcription

• Stokoe also proposed a transcription system which
  was based on his phonological analysis. Before
  that time, there hadn't been any such
  transcription systems around.
• A Dictionary of American Sign Language on
  linguistic principles (DASL) by Stokoe and his
  colleagues (1965) was also based on this
  notation.
• In 1960, contemporary Sign Language Linguistics
  had started.

30
Slow acceptance enduring impact

• However, Stokoe's radical claim that ASL signs
  had a compositional phonological structure was
  not readily shared by other linguists.
• 1. The departure from the standard view of signs
  as wholistic gestures was too big
• 2. By that time, structuralism (of which Stokoe's
  system was based) came out of fashion and
  generative grammar took over
• Only in the late 60ies/ 70ies the picture
  changed.
• Today, Stokoes revolutionary thesis is an
  unquestioned standard in Sign language research.
  It has laid the foundation to and inspired all
  subsequent research.

31
Deaf vs. deaf

• There are two writings of deaf
• lowercae deaf
• refers to the sensory status,
• inability to hear,
• applies to deaf people only
• uppercase Deaf
• refers to social, cultural status, someone who
  belongs to and is identified with the Deaf
  community and uses sign language, either deaf or
  hearing
• (Ladd 2006)

http//gebaerden.warum.net/gb/gehoerlos.png
32
References