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Published on: January 26, 2024
From Contact to Conversation: Protactile Language, Modality, and Community.
Deanna L Gagne1,2, Hayley Broadway2
1Department of Linguistics, Gallaudet University, Washington, DC, USA.
Annual Review of Linguistics
|June 12, 2026
Summary
Protactile language, a tactile communication system from the DeafBlind community, redefines language by centering touch and embodied interaction. This emerging language offers new insights into human communication and diverse sensory ecologies.
Area of Science:
- Linguistics
- Communication Studies
- Sociology
Background:
- Protactile language is a tactile communication system developed by the DeafBlind community in the US.
- It emerged over the last two decades, challenging traditional views on language and communication modalities.
- The language is rooted in a movement prioritizing touch as a valid epistemology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the emergence and linguistic development of protactile language.
- To highlight key structural innovations and ongoing research areas.
- To discuss the reconfiguration of foundational linguistic concepts like phonology and interactional structure.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature and community-based research.
- Analysis of linguistic structures grounded in contact space and reciprocity.
- Examination of ethical considerations in studying emerging community languages.
Main Results:
- Protactile language features distinct linguistic structures based on touch, contact space, and embodied intersubjectivity.
- It reconfigures concepts such as phonology and interactional structure.
- The study emphasizes the importance of collaborative and accountable research practices.
Conclusions:
- Protactile language expands the understanding of human language by centering tactile experience and DeafBlind lived experiences.
- It demonstrates how language emerges within diverse sensory and cultural ecologies.
- Ethical research practices are crucial for studying community-based languages.
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