Mark Mandel's dissertation on American Sign Language

[Grant Barrett]

Well, then, Mark a question I've had for some time but for which I
cannot find a satisfactory answer: While American Sign Language derives
from the French Sign Language, it has been suggested to me that the
French Sign Language borrows from the Native Americans. The claim is
that French trappers brought it back. The timing seems to be right, and
the similarities are interesting. But what're the odds?

--
Grant Barrett
gbarrett at americandialect.org
American Dialect Society webmaster
http://www.americandialect.org/