Antedating of "Sign Language"

[Fred Shapiro]

sign language (OED 1847)

1839 _New-York Spectator_ 16 May (19th Century U.S. Newspapers)  The
exhibition was closed at a late hour with the repetition of the Lord's
prayer, in the sign language, by a young lady of most interesting
appearance.

NOTE:  The 1847 citation in OED (contributed by me many years ago)
misspells the name Gallaudet.

Fred Shapiro


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fred R. Shapiro                             Editor
Associate Librarian for Collections and     YALE BOOK OF QUOTATIONS
   Access and Lecturer in Legal Research     Yale University Press
Yale Law School                             ISBN 0300107986
e-mail: fred.shapiro at yale.edu               http://quotationdictionary.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org