American Sign Language

[David Gene Lewis]

I would like to respond to Andy's original email about American Sign
Language, and the comparison with Native signed languages. I am sending
this message through David Lewis, as he read your email to me and asked my
opinion on it. I have studied American Sign Language for almost 3 years
formally, and have used it longer than that.

I would like to point out, that while it is a common misconception that
ASL is "English on the hands" it is not. There are a number of signed
languages that were used to try to replace ASL (Such as Signed Exact
English, and Pigeon Signed English) that are more like "English on the
hands" but ASL is it's own distinct language with a structure much
different from English.

The signs in ASL have originated from some French sign language signs. and
many came from what are called "Home" signs, these are signs that where
being used by Deaf people in the US prior to the introduction of the
formal language of ASL in the late 1700s. Deaf in the US did have their
own way of communicating with their family mambers and sometimes
eachother. These signs carried over into what is today known as ASL.

With this in mind, I think it quite possible that some of the signs now
included in ASL are either original or adapted Native signs from North
America. I have heard tell of some studies on Native signed languages at
Western Oregon State University.

For more inforamation of the structure of ASL as compared to English as a
distinct language, please see a book called "Deaf in America: Voices from
a Culture" by Padden, C. and Humphries, T. Harvard University Press, 1988.

Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this discussion.

Donna M Ralstin
dralstin at oregon.uoregon.edu