AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE

You are going to read an article about American Sign Language. For questions 1 - 6, choose the answer (A, B, C, D) which you think fits best according to the text.

The history of American Sign Language didn’t truly begin until 1814 when deaf education was introduced to the U.S. Early in the 1800s, no standard sign language existed, but various signing systems were created in the deaf communities. These sign systems are now known as Old American Sign Language. The American Sign Language of today is actually related to this language.

The history of American Sign Language really started in 1814 with Dr. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet. Gallaudet was a minister from Hartford, Connecticut. His neighbour, Mason Fitch Cogswell, had a deaf daughter named Alice Cogswell. Dr. Gallaudet realized Alice was very smart and wanted to teach Alice how to communicate. Gallaudet had a little success teaching Alice reading and spelling, but he didn’t know about effective ways of educating the deaf. So, Gallaudet gained community support and enough money to go to Europe. Since there was a history of deaf education in Europe, Gallaudet knew he could learn the best educational methods there. In Europe, Gallaudet met Abbe Sicard, Jean Massieu, and Laurent Clerc. Abbe Sicard was the successor of Abbe de l’Epee, who was referred to as the father of the French system for teaching the deaf, at the National Institute for Deaf-Mutes. Laurent Clerc and Jean Massieu were once Sicard’s students and became accomplished deaf educators. Gallaudet studied the teaching methods of these instructors and even took private lessons with Clerc, who was one of the best teachers at the institute.

When Gallaudet was getting ready to travel back to America, he asked Clerc to accompany him. Clerc was one of Sicard’s best instructors and Gallaudet knew he would be a huge help in starting a deaf school in the U.S. Clerc agreed and joined Gallaudet on his journey. Gallaudet and Clerc’s school, which is now known as the American School for the Deaf, was established in Hartford, Connecticut in 1817 as the first public free deaf school in the U.S. Just like it was at Abbe de l’Epee’s school, the students brought signs from home with them. American Sign Language developed from these signs as well as signs from French Sign Language that Gallaudet learned from Clerc. Gallaudet retired in 1830 and Clerc taught at the deaf school until the 1850s. By 1863, twenty-two deaf schools in the U.S. had been established. Most of them were founded by Clerc’s students. 

After Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet died in 1851, his youngest son Edward Miner Gallaudet became a teacher at the American School for the Deaf in Hartford. In 1857, Edward was asked to be the superintendent of the Columbia Institution for the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind in Washington, D.C. Edward presented his idea for a deaf college to Congress and they passed legislation in 1864 permitting the Columbia Institute to issue college degrees.

In 1864 the Columbia Institute’s college division (the National Deaf-Mute College) opened. This was the first college for the deaf. In 1986 the school was renamed Gallaudet University. Gallaudet University is known today for being the first and only deaf university in the world.

Adapted from startasl.com