In the history of Japanese Sign Language (JSL), we can discern four different periods after World War II. The first period lasted until the 1970s when very few people knew JSL in Japan and the best interpreters for the Deaf were teachers at schools for the Deaf. The second period was between the 1970s and 1980s. In this period, Sign Language Clubs were set up in many cities of Japan and more hearing people began to learn how to use signed language at these clubs. It was also the time when new information from the USA came into the Japanese Sign Linguists community. The third period lasted until the 1990s. In this period, the Japanese Deaf community began to look outside the country and there were even some articles by Japanese Sign Linguists written in English. The last period is the current one after 2000. In this period, some well-organized JSL interpreter training courses were established as well as a bilingual- bicultural school for the Deaf.
展开▼
