Introduction
Communication is arguably the most significant factor in the advancement of the human civilization. Through it, humans are able to cooperate with each other and achieve great outcomes. The most common form of communication is verbal communication, which makes use of sound. Individuals who suffer from a hearing impairment are disadvantaged, as they cannot make use of this media.
To deal with this problem, the sign language was developed and it has evolved over the centuries to assist in effective communication. In spite of the rich development of sign language, the general population has a minimal understanding of this language. This paper will engage in research into sign language in order to promote a better understanding of the language. It will give a review of its history, evolution in the US, common misconceptions about the language, and the importance of the teaching children with hearing impairments sign language from a young age.
Origins of Sign Language
Sign language has been in existence since at least the 4th century BC. Ruben documents that there is evidence that the deaf utilized sign language in 4BC from the statement of Socrates in Plato’s Cratylus (464). Great advances were made in sign languages from the sixth to the 16th centuries. During this period, Monks developed a system for visual communication, which was used by those in the religious communities that had taken a vow of silence (Ruben 465).
Vision was first used to convey language to students in a class setting in the 17th century. De Leon made use of written words, a manual alphabet and various signs to educate deaf children of the Spanish nobility (Ruben 466). The sign language syntax was codified in the 18th and 19th centuries. Charles Michel is credited with playing a big role in the recognition of sign language as a complete language.
He established the first free school for the deaf in 1771 and published the first syntax for sign language in 1774 (Ruben 466). The French parliament passed a law establishing the first state-sponsored school for the deaf in 1971. This led to the start of government involvement in the care and education of hearing impaired children.
Evolution of Sign Language in the US
In the early years of the United State, no deaf education was provided to the population. This changed in 1815 when Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet traveled to Paris with the intention of learning sign language so that he could become a teacher. He studied in Paris and returned to open the first American School for the Deaf together with the French teacher, Laurent Clerc. The US had opened 19 schools for the deaf by 1857 and the first University offering advanced education for deaf students, the Gallaudet University, was opened in 1864 (Lennard 34).
A significant evolution in sign language in the US is the perceived importance of teaching speech to deaf students. Lennard states that in the early 60s, reformers engaged in a campaign to eliminate the use of American Sign Language in classrooms and replace it with the exclusive use of lip-reading and speech (34). The reformers were motivated by a fear that deaf people were isolated from the life of the nation as the use of sign language encouraged them to associate principally with each other.
The shift to pure oralism proved to be a dismal failure and it was abandoned by the late 1970s. In its place, a new method that aimed to bring about Total Communication was embraced. This method did not support either ASL or oralism, but instead presented both methods, thus allowing the deaf to access information by any means they found convenient.
Misinterpretation
Sign language remains a mystery to most people in the general population. This leads to some wrong perceptions of the language by most people. A major misconception is that sign languages are universal. The reality is that sign languages have developed independently in various regions and they are often influenced by the local cultures where they are used. Johnston, Roekel and Schembri assert that “Most deaf signed language using communities around the world use historically unrelated languages that are, for the most part, mutually unintelligible” (4). This leads to a diversity in the language that makes it impossible for individuals using sign language from differing regions to communicate effectively.
Cochlear Implants and Child Development
Cochlear implants have emerged as technological solutions that help to undo the damage to the inner ear that causes deafness in some people. The implants are electronic devices that provide sound signals to the brain therefore enabling a profoundly deaf person to have a sense of sound. Introduction to auditory stimulation at an early age has a positive impact on the ability of the child to understand and use spoken language.
Early intervention by cochlear implants therefore brings about substantial benefits to children as it introduces them to spoken language. Research by May-Mederake reveals that cochlear implantation carried out on children under 1 year resulted in the best future outcomes for speech and language development (945). The children demonstrated better speech and grammar development compared to those implanted after 2 years of age. Cochlear implanted less than 12 months ensured that children benefited from early auditory stimulation. Without cochlear implants, children are deprived of auditory stimulation and they can only benefit from sign language and oralism.
Importance of Learning Sign Language Early
Language plays a major role in the cognitive and social development of a child. It is through language that the child expresses himself and gets to relate with others. Acquisition of sign language as a first language for deaf children has some significant advantages. Early introduction to sign language considers that not all deaf children will access spoken language since they might have severe damages that make cochlear implants ineffective.
It therefore provides the child with a means to communicate even if speech language will be adopted in future. Early acquisition of sign language ensures that children are able to demonstrate language proficiency in future. Research indicates that if deaf individuals do not acquire a first language during the critical period of 0 to 7 years, they suffer from lasting differences in both receptive and productive language proficiency (Higgins and Lieberman 12).
Stereotyping children with disabilities in America
Historically, deaf children were perceived as special needs people and denied education opportunities since they were presumed to be less intelligent that the general population. However, this view has changed and today deafness is not considered a special need. Instead, deaf children are viewed as a cultural and linguistic minority group (Higgins and Lieberman 9). Even so, there are still instances of stereotyping of children with disabilities in the US.
A common stereotype is that shouting or exaggerating mouth movements helps the deaf person understand what you are saying. Some deaf children cannot perceive sound and the volume of sound does not change this. Another stereotype is that deaf children are less intelligent compared to children who can hear. This view assumes that inability to hear makes a person dumb. The view is misguided since hearing ability does not have an impact on the individual’s mental capacity.
Famous People with hearing impairments
Some famous people with hearing impairments have influenced the world positively. Keller advocated for members of the deaf community to learn to speak and read lips. Her primary motivation for this was to end the isolation than deaf people faced in society (Briggs 34). She was in support of any method that would ensure that deaf people were effectively integrated into society. Keller was an ardent advocate for the rights of people with disabilities. She used her popularity to champion not only for the rights of people with disabilities, but also for women’s rights and for social reforms.
Another famous deaf person is William Hoy, who played in Major League Baseball. He identified himself as a deaf player and insisted on being called “dummy” to highlight that he could not speak well. He was a skilled player who played for five major league teams in the course of his 14-year career (Bragg 297). He is credited with promoting the use of hand signals in the sporting arena. He inspired the use of hand signals by umpires, who found them more effective in the noisy stadiums. Hoy also helped dispel the misconception that deaf people were less talented than hearing individuals.
Conclusion
This paper set out to discuss the sign language, which has made it possible for deaf people all over the world to communicate and lead normal lives. It began by highlighting the history of the language and how the deaf were initially denied education opportunities. It then traced the evolution of sign language in the US and how it is now augmented with oral approaches. In spite of these developments, sign language remains to be of core importance to the communication efforts of people with hearing impairments.
Works Cited
Bragg, Lois. Deaf World: A Historical Reader and Primary Sourcebook. NY: NYU Press, 2001. Print.
Higgins, Michael and Amy Lieberman. “Deaf Students as a Linguistic and Cultural Minority: Shifting Perspectives and Implications for Teaching and Learning.” Journal of Education 196.1 (2016): 9-18. Print.
Johnston, Trevor, Jane Roekel and Adam Schembri. “On the Conventionalization of Mouth Actions in Australian Sign Language.” Language & Speech 59.1 (2016): 3-42. Print.
Lennard, Davis. The Disability Studies Reader. Boston: Taylor & Francis, 2006. Print.
May-Mederake, Birgit. “Early intervention and assessment of speech and language development in young children with cochlear implants.” International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology 76.7 (2012):939-46. Web.
Ruben, Robert. “Sign language: Its history and contribution to the understanding of the biological nature of language.” Acta Oto-Laryngologica 125.5 (2005): 464-467. Web.