Half a million people use American Sign Language in the United States, approximately the same number who speak Italian in the U.S. and more than those who speak Japanese, according to the Rhode Island Commission of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
A Modern Language Association survey displays that American Sign Language is the fourth most studied foreign language at colleges and universities. It is the primary way Americans who cannot use spoken language communicate, and it is most widely used by the deaf community.
However, despite its vital role in communication for many Americans, many college admission departments do recognize courses taken in American Sign Language as fulfilling their two-year foreign language application requirement.
Considering the significant role American Sign Language plays in communication and its status as the fourth most studied foreign language, why do many collage admission departments not fully acknowledge ASL courses, and what implications does this have for recognizing diverse forms of linguistic expression?
Historical and Cultural Foundation:
According to Start ASL, American Sign Language dates back to 1817 when Thomas Gallaudet began teaching a young deaf girl named Alice how to communicate. He successfully taught Alice reading and spelling, but he wanted to go further with her education. At the time, Europe had established deaf education programs, so Gallaudet decided to travel to France.
There, he met with Laurent Clerc, an expert on deaf communication. Clerc returned to America with Gallaudet to help establish the first deaf school in America, the American School for the Deaf, in Hartford, Connecticut. At this school, Clerc’s French Sign Language (LSF) was mixed with some of the student’s own but seldom-used signs. Graduates of the American School for the Deaf played a crucial role in spreading ASL across the country by establishing other deaf schools, shaping ASL into the language it is today.
ASL: Beyond Language to Culture:
ASL has evolved into more than a language; it is the very foundation of deaf culture. Deaf culture is very unique, as 90 percent of deaf people are born to hearing parents and therefore do not have original access to ASL or the deaf community. It is through education, most often in deaf institutions, that people who are hard of hearing or deaf become immersed in deaf culture. Just like any other minority or culture, deaf people connect through sharing a similar experience and worldview. Phillip Janes, a deaf ASL teacher and graduate from Gallaudet University, signs this about his experience in the deaf community: “We have our own code and standard in American sign language. I was part of a deaf softball team and went to an all-deaf college. The communication is all visual, and deaf culture is very supportive and empathetic. We work things out when there are challenges. There is a sense of community with all deaf people, we look above things like race”. ASL is not merely a set of gestures but a complete language system with its own “code and standard.” This reinforces the idea that ASL is a linguistic and cultural entity, just like any spoken language. Language and culture have always been directly related, and this is no different just because ASL is a non-spoken language.
The College Question:
While it varies greatly from college to college, most higher education institutions will require students to study two years of a foreign language. The lag to adopt ASL as a viable language to fulfill this requirement has a few commonly cited reasons: it’s not technically foreign, and it’s not a spoken language. USC adds ASL’s lack of a written component in its argument against ASL as a foreign language. Since ASL is indeed American Sign Language, it is wrongly understood by many non-speakers as “unspoken English,” linguistically and culturally.
The Need for Recognition:
With its many nuances and language quirks, as well as a vibrant community culture separate from that of English speakers, ASL is more than simply unspoken English. The structure of ASL is incompatible with many conventions in standard American English. The very order in which signs are used in a sentence is structurally incongruent with American English sentence structure. For example, ASL does not commonly use prepositions or linking verbs (i.e. “am,” “is,” “are,” “was,” and “were”). All tenses are established with a single sign that also incorporates the action. ASL also employs “classifiers,” handshapes that show certain shapes, sizes, or amounts. Classifiers, such as shape and size, are not specific words. Instead, they are motions drawn in air that encompass many meanings. For example, holding up one finger can classify things as skinny or can be used to describe the way certain animals move.
The way in which a society views a language carries cultural weight. Consider Spanish. Despite being considered foreign, the US is the home of the second largest Spanish-speaking population in the world, just following Mexico. For many Americans, Spanish and the culture brought with it does not feel all that “foreign” as it is what they speak and experience in their own families and communities. Yet the designation as a foreign language allows the language to be taught in high schools and higher education institutions across the country. The language and culture are spread, unifying wonderfully diverse communities.
In the same way, the hesitation to designate ASL universally as a foreign language is to dissuade students from learning a language that brings with it a unique culture and community benefit. By creating a system that rewards learning ASL in the same ways learning other foreign languages is rewarded, a culture and population that is often forgotten can be better understood by a greater number of people.
In order to assert ASL’s rightful place in the cultural and linguistic fabric of this country, ASL should qualify as foreign language for credit when applying to college. Failure to classify ASL as a foreign language may damper hearing individuals from experiencing the unique language and culture communicated through ASL. Furthermore, it limits the communication between those with the ability to hear and those who are deaf.
Worse, high schools may stop offering it altogether, robbing the education system of the beautiful history and culture of ASL. American Sign Language is an engaging visual language that unlocks communication with a vibrant group of people who are often overlooked. Claiming that ASL is not a foreign language because it is unspoken denies the deaf community of the respect that other communities with their respective languages receive in the education system. ASL should always meet the foreign language requirement for colleges and universities.
