Definition of Sign Language

Indira Ahmed Fernandez | Dec. 2021
BA in Hispanic Letters

The tongue Signing exists because it is a communicative need for those who practice it, and it has been accepted as such by the majority community recently. In its history, it has been frequently stigmatized by the rest of the people, claiming that it is a system primitive and simian, since it is based on mimic signs that are externalized to form complex thoughts and communicate them. Even so, there are no rigorous and in-depth studies regarding the linguistic and grammatical aspects of this system.

Historical development

In 1960 the deaf community still suffered high levels of segregation and misunderstanding by the rest. The solution offered by this same group consisted in trying to communicate through signs, although it had not been standardized as a system or as part of language. This response was independent and creative.

In ancient times it was considered that deaf people could not develop their speaking abilities and therefore could not communicate effectively. Rodríguez and Velásquez (2000) point out the history of the institutionalization of sign language at different times and point out that the first record recounts how Pope Innocent III authorized in 1198 the marriage of a mute, arguing that, if he could not speak, he could communicate through address.

In the 16th century, approximately, the existence of a community was already evident linguistics that they shared a language and it is noted that the deaf were impressed by the speed and precision with which they could understand each other. This resulted in the interest of some people to spread the method of this language, as was the Abbot L´Epée, who assumed the task in the 18th century and created the first school to deaf. This was the first moment in which the group's communicative capacity was recognized, since their gestures were not only mimics, but they seemed to make up a linguistic system that perfectly fulfilled the functions of a tongue. From then on the perception This speaking group changed a bit and their relationship with the rest of society became more bearable.

It is in 1960 that sign language begins a kind of recognition as a linguistic system, after William Stokoe demonstrated grammatically that it can transmit information. From his studies, the analysis of this as a system is expanded and includes all the universal grammatical characteristics that describe and analyze different languages. In 1980, with the dissemination of Stokoe's studies, the population deaf as a “minority community that speaks its own language”.

Present

From this moment on, various variants have been developed according to the geographical region of the speakers, which coexist and allow the communication effective among its speakers. Even the community, although it is considered a minority, has achieved legal recognition and this has brought various social benefits for its members.

Although studies already carried out show that this system has its correspondence in the oral language, and that it can be analyzed from linguistic principles, like any language, the research in this sense it has a long way to go. Signs that are perceived by the ear in spoken language are received in sign language by sight, which endows the system with a complete and widely communicative meaning, as well as coherence and pragmatism.

Currently, the aim is to inclusion of this group in the mass media, since communication strategies have been generated so that they have access to information in the same way as the rest of the speaking community. Among the initiatives we can mention the implementation of the Closed Caption system in the television programs and the presence of a sign language interpreter to “translate” the transmissions. Although they are not yet fully included in all the media, the effort to bring the information to the entire community is evident in these actions.

It also exists as a career, at certain levels, the learning of sign language. This allows the existence of non-deaf people who identify with this community and who can act as intermediary interpreters for people who cannot perceive the communication oral.

In Spain, the initiative of the Cuban sign language interpreter Milena Fajardo stands out, who seeks to bring the music to the deaf community. This young woman, on her channel "With my hands" interprets songs in sign language so that even this artistic manifestation is appreciated by a group that, as a minority, has not been taken into account during a great period of the history of the humanity.

Bibliography

Rodríguez, M. I. and Velásquez, R. P.: History and Grammar of Sign Language.

Fajardo, M.: With my hands LSE. (YouTube channel).