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Historical Linguistics of Sign Languages: Progress and Problems
1Department of Linguistics, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States.
Frontiers in Psychology
|March 31, 2022
Summary
William Stokoe established American Sign Language (ASL) as a distinct language. This review explores the progress and challenges in historical linguistics for ASL and other sign languages.
Area of Science:
- Linguistics
- Historical Linguistics
- Sign Language Studies
Background:
- William Stokoe's seminal work established American Sign Language (ASL) as a unique linguistic system with historical ties to French Sign Language.
- Stokoe's contributions laid the groundwork for the academic field of sign language historical linguistics.
- The field has since evolved, building upon Stokoe's foundational concepts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the development of sign language historical linguistics since William Stokoe's initial contributions.
- To identify and analyze significant progress made in the field.
- To examine persistent theoretical and methodological challenges in understanding sign language relationships and cognacy.
Main Methods:
- Literature review focusing on the historical development of sign language linguistics.
- Analysis of theoretical frameworks for understanding sign language relationships and cognacy.
- Examination of case studies illustrating the application and limitations of current methodologies.
Main Results:
- Sign language historical linguistics has advanced significantly, yet faces ongoing theoretical and methodological hurdles.
- Traditional linguistic concepts like cognacy do not always align with the historical evolution of sign languages.
- The review highlights recent innovative approaches within the field.
Conclusions:
- Further research is needed to refine theoretical models for sign language historical linguistics.
- Developing new methodologies is crucial for accurately tracing the historical relationships between sign languages.
- Addressing the identified problems will enhance our understanding of linguistic diversity in signed languages.
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