Sign of the Times: A Brief History of French Sign Language

"American Sign Language came from French Sign Language?"

In my three (almost four) years of pursuing an American Sign Language degree, this is one of the most common questions I get, aside from "What are you going to do with that?"
The first question, I like explaining.
Please stop asking me the second question.

While most history surrounding ASL begins with Thomas Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc in Hartford, Connecticut circa 1817, ASL's roots in France mean that its history is shared with LSF, almost like a tree branch that starts together before splitting off into two different directions. LSF's history is rich and full of stories of exploration, liberation, and education, offset by stories of oppression and misunderstanding. In this section, we'll explore a brief history of LSF: its beginnings, its influences, and where it stands today.

Compassion and Communication: The Beginning of LSF

Early Deaf history in Europe is a history full of misunderstanding and fascination, leading to speculation surrounding everything about the "Deaf-mutes" of the world. The 17th century saw court cases questioning Deaf intelligence, and many Deaf people found themselves at a disadvantage when faced with crises such as famine, war, and illness. However, Saint-Francois de Sales was declared the patron saint of all Deaf-mutes, and Rene Descartes pushed for others to recognize that early forms of sign language used by Deaf people were used in a manner akin to spoken communication and had the same qualities as vocal language. Additionally, Etienne de Fay emerged as the first known Deaf teacher of the Deaf and paved the way for later education of the Deaf, which gains traction in the 18th century with Charles-Michel de l'Épée.

Abbe de l'Épée is regarded as the father of LSF and the bilingual model of education for Deaf people. De l'Épée was the first to open a Deaf school in France, but, more importantly, he was the first to develop a methodology to signed language, a system previously based on signs that varied from place to place with little grammar or rules. His school moved from his home, to Bordeaux, to Paris, and was a safehaven for the Deaf who were normally hidden away from the public eye or turned out to the streets to avoid familial embarrassment, and pushed against the more commonly used oral method that dominated and oppressed the Deaf population of France. However, the oral method would persist in Orleans under Abbe Deschamps with a school and published book devoted to oralism.

Plaque on 21 rue Thérèse, Paris, meant to commemorate Abbe de l'Épée's first school within his home  

Despite the hearing world's immense support for the oral method of education for the Deaf, Abbe de l'Épée's work for the Deaf had an amazing impact, and his teachings yielded even more influential individuals within Deaf history. Jean Massieu, Etienne de Fay, and Claude-Andre Deseine were some of the famous "firsts" of the Deaf community, as the first Deaf person to be hired by the state of France, the first Deaf teacher of the Deaf, and the first Deaf artist, respectively. His work also inspired Observations of a Deaf and Mute on Elementary Education of the Deaf and Mute by Pierre Desloges, the first known Deaf writer of France. De l'Épée is remembered as a hero by the Deaf community of France, and is honored by various monuments within the city, as we saw when visiting L'Eglise Saint-Roch in Paris.

Bust of de l'Épée in L'Eglise Saint-Roch

In fact, de l'Épée's work was so effective it carried not only past the borders of France, but past Europe itself, over the Atlantic Ocean into the fledgling Deaf communities of America.

An American in Paris: LSF Comes to Connecticut

When Thomas Gallaudet arrived in France, his endeavors touched many of those working in the Institut National de Jeunes Sourds de Paris, as it echoed those of the beloved Abbe de l'Épée: build a school, create a language, and generate a community for the Deaf population of America. Gallaudet found aid through Laurent Clerc, a student of Jean Massieu. Clerc agreed to leave France for the Americas in order to help Gallaudet establish the first Deaf school of America and bring signed language to the United States. Together, along with Mason Cogswell, they established the Connecticut Asylum at Hartford for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons in April of 1817, which would later become the American School for the Deaf. Clerc taught Gallaudet LSF, who in turn instructed teachers at his new school in order to make sure they were capable of spreading this new language far and wide. Because of Clerc, ASL was established in the States as a key element of Deaf culture and was a breakthrough in communication for the Deaf. For his work, he has been honored all the way from the US back to his hometown in France, which we had the opportunity to visit!

Plaque commemorating the birthplace of Laurent Clerc, both in French and in English

Modern Times: LSF and the Deaf in Modern France

The history of the Deaf in France following the death of Abbe de l'Épée is one full of darkness, but also that boasts some victories. In the 19th century, the number of Deaf schools in France and around the world increased exponentially, and de l'Épée's students (and his students' students, and so on and so forth) continually pushed for research and teaching of LSF. Deaf banquets were established in order to honor de l'Épée, and continue to this day. Also, thanks to the efforts of Abbe Sicard and Ferdinand Berthier, Deaf individuals were given access to previously inaccessible jobs and were permitted to vote. However, oralism still tended to prevail as a teaching method for the Deaf, and Deaf education and LSF suffered.

However, the current standing of the Deaf population of France is much higher than its roots. Abbe de l'Épée's school is still open and is considered a premier location for the education of the Deaf, utilizing a bilingual-bicultural method of teaching. We had the opportunity to go visit this school, which boasted a beautiful location and rich mix of LSF and English.

Statue of Abbe de l'Épée in the courtyard of Institut National de Jeunes Sourds de Paris

We also had the opportunity to visit and tour the old city of Lyon with Deaf students who received bilingual-bicultural education in a mainstream school, so all of their classes were entirely in LSF. Additionally, we visited not only some of the Deaf banquets I mentioned previously, but we also had the opportunity to go to the International Visual Theater, a Deaf theater in France. But, again, in the interest of short and sweet, we'll save that for another post.