If you are learning how to speak Sign Language, you may be interested in learning the origins of the Sign Language alphabet and how it has evolved since its conception.
Besides the origins of Sign Language and the influencers who helped to develop it, in this article, you’ll also find tips on how to find a Sign Language course.
Did you know that there is no one, universal Sign Language used around the world?
When Was the Sign Language Alphabet Created?
There are two main points that historians can pinpoint when it comes to the origins of Sign Language. Whether 100 000 B.C. or the 10th century, it depends on what you believe the true origin to be.
Learning how to speak Sign Language includes symbols and hand signs to convey expression and meaning, but it is in fact a complete system that includes extensive vocabulary, grammar and universal Sign Language rules.
This definition suggests that your Sign Language course will not be limited to gestures even though it is the primary component of universal Sign Language.
One of the reasons Sign Language is so old is that as long as we have structured communication in the form of written words, signs or spoken words, then we have a language.
So while the timing of the origin of Sign Language is not agreed upon, it can certainly be traced back around 100 000 years to the first humans.
Another definition is that for communication to be communication it needs a system – in this case a Sign Language alphabet. Of course, it is not easy to find evidence of this even if we know that the earliest humans knew how to speak Sign Language. The first structured evidence of Sign Language is in the records of the monastic languages which were not full languages, but the communication that was used during religious silence.
Examples of this include indicating whether someone should kneel, sit or stand during prayer. These earliest forms of how to speak sign language date back to 10 century Europe and it is not uncommon for these gestures to be seen in films today.
There are also historical items that suggest that the origins of signing go back further, as far back as the 5th century BC.
Who Invented Sign Language?
If you are doing a Sign Language course, you may be very interested to know who the pioneers were that invented it.
Even though we know that the exact origins are unknown, the formally documented systems can certainly be attributed to individuals. There are a number of international hand signs, so for the purposes of this article, we will stick to well-known modern systems prevalent in Europe and America that date back from the 15th century until the present.
British Sign Language (BSL)
The most familiar, BSL, has a long history that dates back to the 18th century. In Britain during the time that cities first began to flourish, people who shared deafness began to live closer together. This meant that their collective struggle garnered more recognition and in 1760 the Braidwood's Academy for the Deaf and Dumb was opened by Thomas Braidwood. It is considered the first educational institution in Britain that specialises in how to speak Sign Language.
Apart from founding the facility, he offered a Sign Language course that at the time was called “The Combined System.”
Despite this intentional beginning, BSL only became recognised as a minority language in 2003.
American Sign Language (ASL)
The American English signing system was developed shortly after its British counterpart, only under more isolated circumstances. Its development is credited to Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet who developed a Sign Language course in 1817, with the help of Laurent Clerc a French sign language instructor whose commitment was reportedly inspired by an altruistic mission to help his neighbours' deaf daughter communicate. The origin is also insightful in that it answers the question of whether British and American Sign Language do not share a common root system.
French Sign Language (FSL)
As noted above American Sign Language shares a connection with FSL. French Sign Language is a result of the efforts of a priest called Charles Michel De L’Epee who tirelessly translated the French alphabet into symbols and a system of gestures. In addition, he also introduced abstract concepts that significantly elevated the language. Much like his aforementioned peers, in 1760, he also established a school for the deaf where he taught his invented sign language course which became the foundation for standardised signing in France.
South African Sign Language
SASL has a mixture of the influences, including Irish, British and American, and continues to evolve and adapt to the needs of its users.
South African Sign Language (SASL) is not completely homogenised, and different signs may be used to represent the same concept depending on where you are in the country.
The origins of South African Sign Language can be linked to the establishment of schools for the Deaf, which were usually run by churches. The Irish Dominican Order established the first school for the Deaf in Cape Town in 1863.
In 1880, at an international education conference, a resolution was passed to end the use of Sign Language to educate the Deaf. Unfortunately, like in many other countries, South Africa adopted the system of oralism — teaching the Deaf to communicate by means of speech and lip-reading, instead of using Sign Language — for many years.
Today, however, the South African Constitution explicitly recognises Sign Language as one of the languages of the country, and states that its use should be promoted and developed. In addition, the South African Schools Act stipulates that Sign Language should be the medium of instruction in schools for the Deaf.
The Status of Sign Language Today
So what does all this mean for those who want to learn how to sign today?
So with all this history, you may be curious to know where modern society is with sign language today. Fortunately, the community of Sign Language users is continuing to grow, not only in the west but all over the world and it is larger than ever.
As a form of communication, signing has had much to overcome. Along with things like prejudice and discrimination, it has been the lifelong struggle of those who use it to get it recognised as an official language in most countries.
If you think about it, the ban on Sign Language education in the 1800s was relatively recent. The main reason cited at the time was that it was considered ultimately more beneficial for deaf people to try and learn oral speech even though they could not hear it. It has sadly taken too long for the deaf community to recover from the massive discriminatory oversight and even today, there remains a noticeable stigma towards this alternative form of communication.
All this does is highlight the deep need for extensive understanding and education which is why sharing information on the history of Sign Language through articles like this is just one of the positive ways that modern society can make up for the mistakes of the past.
What Can You Do?
If you would like to contribute to bridging the gap of understanding and creating more unity between the hearing and Deaf community, you can begin to engage with the Sign Language community in various ways. It could mean learning Sign Language and sharing the history of signing through pictures and videos. It could even mean earning a living from signing by becoming an interpreter or helping to make video material for courses.
To find out more about Sign Language lessons, or indeed interpreter courses and jobs, keep following this series of articles for tips and information.
All of these contributions go a long way to integrating Sign Language in society.
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