The languages of the signs (LS) is the Langue that the people reached of Surdité developed to communicate. This langagee provides all the functions filled by the oral languages (LO), also known as “vocal languages”. It is a language visuo-gestural (perceived by the eyes, it is produced by the movements of the hands, the face and the body as a whole).

History

See also: deaf History

In 1620, Juan de Pablo Bonet publishes a Réduction of the letters to their primitive elements and art to teach with speaking to the dumb men following the assumption of responsibility about education about Shine of Velasco, marquis of the Ash (1610 - 1664), wire deaf person of the constable of Castille, Juan Fernández de Velasco (1550 - 1613). This work made of him one of the pioneers of education oralist of the deaf persons, and the author of the first handbook of Orthoepy, Phonetic Logopedics and in Europe. Spain of Philippe III is with the apogee of its power and of its richness, the constables of Castille is, by protocol, the second character of the kingdom and the education of wire (it was puiné and deaf, which is the case of small Luis) constitutes a social obligation.

But Juan de Pablo Bonet is not the first to have dealt with the education of deaf wire of the good Spanish families. In the Castille rich person, the primacy of education for the deaf persons returns to Pedro Ponce of León (1520-1584), monk Benedictine of the monastery of the Sauveur saint of Madrid which opened, in its monastery, the first classes specialized. It is not known to have invented the language of the signs (nor recognized its use among its pupils) but it mentions and promotes in its writings the use of the dactylologic Alphabet to spell the words, a use in addition very undoubtedly preexistent in the monastic orders (like that of the Carmel) where the monks and moniales make wish of Silence.

The Iberian world having entered a deep economic, political and intellectual decline, the innovation on the matter moves in France of the 18th century (then country more developed with England of John Wallis (1616-1703) and Holland of Johann Conrad Amman (1669-1724), other pioneers of the instruction of deaf-mute). One must with the Marrane Jacob Rodrigue Péreire (1715-1780) have made the transition from the knowledge between the two countries. As of 1734, Péreire founds a specialized institute with Lisbon and is documented on the methods of education of deaf-mute (it draws largely at Juan de Pablo Bonet). It privileges the demutisation, speech reading, the early training of the reading and uses a Dactylologie adapted to the French language. Leaving Portugal in 1741, it brings its knowledge to Bordeaux. Its first pupil is Aaron Beaumarin, born about 1732. He is presented to the Academy of La Rochelle, at the beginning of 1745, in order to make note the effectiveness of the teaching method which he promotes. Another pupil, the son of the family of Azy d' Etavigny, is the subject of a Mémoire presented to Paris, with the Academy of Science, at the time of the meeting of June 11th, 1749.

The abbot Charles-Michel of the Sword is thus far from clearing a virgin land when, in the years 1750, it founds a boarding school for the deaf persons whom it finances on his sums of money. Its philanthropic conviction is nun before being Linguistique: if the deaf persons can receive an religious education, they can also receive the sacraments and avoid the hell. It is a propagator out-par of his ideas, certainly supported by its ascent of Versailles, it is received by the king, and the support of the all-powerful Catholic church (contrary to its Péreire contemporary). Sword universally made admit the deaf persons with the row of “Christian truths”, i.e. as a Homme S with whole share, endowed with reason and language. In 1791, two years after its death, the National Assembly recognized it while issuing that its name would be registered like benefactor of humanity and that the deaf persons would profit from the Human rights.

Semiology

If the language of the signs is taught and diffused, it is conceived as “a reproduction” of the national language which it visualizes and gestualise. It is necessary to await William Stokoe so that the language of the signs is observed as a language with whole share grace description according to the principle of the Double articulation that André Martinet) develops for the human language in general and attests for the language of the signs in the introduction to the Essai of grammar of the French language of the signs of Firn of Mévergnies. These descriptions, very often carried out according to the criteria of analysis of the oral languages, contributed to make little by little recognize with these languages their statute of natural languages to whole share. However owing to the fact that the languages of the signs use a visuo-gestural and nonaudio-oral method, they set up specific structures, quite different from those of the oral languages and thus require a detailed description.

Like any language, a language of the signs requires a training but it is not necessary to have a deafness to learn or communicate in language signs. For example of many hearing (children of deaf persons, partners, or interpreters and other professionals in liaison with deaf persons) manage to develop an high degree of bilingualism. According to the Ministry for the Culture, the languages of the signs are for the deaf persons, the only truly suitable linguistic mode, which allows them a cognitive and psychological development in a way equivalent so that it is of an oral language for one hearing.

One often speaks when one treats language of the signs of a “visual thought”. It calls in question what we usually regard as pertaining to the field of the Linguistique. Indeed, according to Christian Cuxac, from the semiogenetic point of view, the model of the French Langue of the signs proposes a junction of aiming between two types of structures (frequently overlapping in the speech):

  • structures known as standard or “standard signs”, with the conventional character.
  • structures of great iconicity, with illustrative aiming,

Gestural code

The standard signs are conditioned by the gestural one Main S, head and Visage, by the orientation of the sign, its site and its movement, each parameter corresponding to a finished list of elements which corresponds to the Phonème of the oral language. The enumeration of the elements by parametric category varies according to descriptions. For the only gestural one of the hands, one counts some between 45 and 60 different in French Langue from the signs. These elements appear simultaneously and can combine within a sign just as the phonemes combine within a Mot.

Illustrative prosody

The structures of great iconicity are of a recurring employment in the control of account. They are extremely original and particular. The thorough study of these structures made it possible to highlight various types of possible transfers in a speech. For example, the speaker then takes the role of a person or, puts in situation forms. Marie-Anne Sallandre clarifies it as follows: All the languages make it possible to rebuild experiments, according to varied strategies. (…) in the cases of gestural additions (ex: large balloon a “like that”) (…), the gesture accompanies or supplements the word, (…) the speaker takes the voice of the characters about which he speaks, to tell a history. One observes then completely interesting phenomena of Prosodie, at the time of these catches of role. On the contrary, the languages of the signs give to see constantly, to differing degree. The great iconicity is thus activation, in the field of the speech, of a concerned illustrative (or iconicisatrice), when dimension to give to see is present.

Space time

It is also necessary to raise the use particular of the space by the language of the signs. Indeed whereas the vocal languages use syntactic structures for temporal marking or the relations between various things, the language of the signs uses space: the time can for example be held according to an axis back-before in the space of the signor or according to an axis left-right-hand side.

Pronominal marker

The space of signation (there or the person signs) can be also used to create Repère S, Marqueur S to which one refers throughout the speech (e.g. a reference mark for the school, for the house, another for a character). It is then enough to point finger or glance the place for " the activer" and there to refer in the speech. It is to some extent a space use of the Pronom.

Languages of the signs

The language of the signs is not a universal language. The Ethnologue.com site) counts 121 different languages of the signs. There exists in fact as much of language of the signs than of communities different of deaf persons, each language of the signs having its history, its units meaning and its Lexique. The development of a language of the signs depends on the promptness of the community of the people who compose it, as for a vocal language. The language of the signs of an area does not have necessarily a correspondence with the regional oral language. In spite of the differences between the languages of the signs of the world, comprehension and the communication are quickly possible between two people controlling of the different languages of the signs. This is due to the great proximity of the syntactic structures and the existence of very iconic structures, which give to see), characterized by the absence of standard signs (which are them different for each language). The origin of these shared structures probably holds with the nature even of the language and transfigures the human experiment of the world that its speakers have some.

Legal recognition and legal support for the access of the deaf persons to the language of the signs

Only some of the hundred languages of the signs in the world, obtained a legal recognition, the others profiting from no official statute.

Today still, of information, many deaf people or parents of deaf persons do not know the existence of the languages of the signs and regard before all deafness as a handicap. It seems necessary to have an approach different from the simple curative vision of deafness and to take into account the social reality and linguistics of the languages of the signs. Many countries wish before a whole blooming of the people and develop the access in language of the signs with the public places, the universities, etc

Recognition of the languages signed by country

  • In Australia, Auslan is recognized officially in 1987 and 1991 by the Government of Australia.

  • In Austria, the Austrian language of the signs is recognized officially on September 1st 2005 - the Constitution of Austria is modified in order to include „§8 (3) Die Österreichische Gebärdensprache STI als eigenständige Sprache anerkannt. Das Nähere bestimmen die Gesetze.“(“the Austrian language of the signs is recognized like independent language”. For more information to see http://www.oeglb.at/.
  • In Belgium the French-speaking Langue of the signs Belgian is recognized officially on October 21st 2003 by the Parliament of the French Communauté of Belgium. In Flanders, the languages of the signs Flemish is recognized on April 26th 2006 by the Flemish Parlement Decreet houdende of erkenning van of Vlaamse Gebarentaal.
  • With the Brazil, the Brazilian language of the signs is recognized officially in 2002 in the field of education. It is ruled that each deaf child has the right to learn in his own language and to have Portuguese like 2nd language.
  • In the Czech Republic, the Czech language of the signs is recognized in 1998 - to see the legislation here (in Czech).
  • With the Canada, the province of the Manitoba is the first to officially recognize the American language of the signs like that of the deaf communities in anglophone medium ( 1988 ), followed Alberta which recognizes the ASL like optional language in teaching ( 1990 ); the Ontario recognizes the ASL and the LSQ like languages of teaching ( 1993 ).
  • the the European Parliament approved a resolution concerning the languages of the signs on June 17th, 1988. The resolution asks for all the Member States the recognition of its language of the signs like official language of the deaf persons.
  • In Finland, the Finnish language of the signs is recognized in the Constitution of Finland in August 1995 .
  • In Spain, only the autonomous communities of Catalonia, Andalusia and Valence recognize languages of the signs.
  • With the the United States, American Sign Language is recognized in several states as a foreign language.
  • In France, in article 75 of the code of education, the French language of the signs is recognized with whole share in the curricular area under the law of February 11th 2005 (of the Code of education, inserted by the n° 2005-102 of February 11th, 2005 for the chance and equal rights, the participation and the citizenship of the handicapped people).
  • In Norway, the Norwegian language of the signs is recognized. A daily program Nyheter på tegnspråk (Current events in language of the signs) is diffused each day on the television channel of Norsk rikskringkasting.
  • In New Zealand, the Langue of the signs of New Zealand is the first language of the signs to becoming, on April 6th, 2006, a Official language. It is the 3rd official language of the country, after the English and the maori.
  • In Uganda, the language of the signs of Uganda is recognized in the constitution.
  • With the Portugal, the Portuguese language of the signs is recognized in the field of education under the constitution of Portugal.
  • In Slovakia, the Slovak language of the signs is recognized in 1995 in the law " Zákon O posunkovej reči nepočujúcich osob 149/1995 Sb" - “The law of language of the signs of deaf persons 149/1995”.
  • In Thailand, the language of the signs inhabitant of Thailand is recognized on August 17th 1999 .
  • With the Venezuela, the languages of the signs vénézuélienne is recognized on November 12th 1999 in the constitution.

List languages of the signs on Wikipédia

Internal bond

Random links:Osne-the-valley | Lourmel (subway of Paris) | Betaucourt | Staircase of Potemkine | Conger with moustache