Building an Infrastructure to SupportHistorical Sign Language Research

摘要

American Sign Language (ASL) is the community language of Deaf people in the USA and parts of Canada and Mexico. Deaf people and their deaf and hearing children are indigenous users of ASL. The categorization of deaf people as disabled rather than as members of an ongoing language community led to a devaluing of the language and neglect of historical research. As interest grows in the humanistic study of ASL, the claim is often made that historical resources for study of this unwritten language are sparse. Yet sustained efforts uncover early films, dictionaries and other historical texts and documents. Study of these resources reveals the beginnings of a literary canon and a tradition of metalinguistic awareness and discussion among Deaf Community leaders. These sources are valuable for developing research methods in historical linguistics, and are rich resources for ASL and the sign language humanities.