Language Attitudes

Important in the study of any language is the way in which it is interpreted by other groups and how dialects and variations are interpreted within a group. What are the feelings of individuals when they see someone speaking with hand gestures, and how does this influence their interaction with the individual? How do individuals respond to different forms of signed languages? How can we gain meaningful data while mitigating bias in informants? These are some of the major questions asked by those who study language attitudes within the Deaf community. This article describes the concept and measurement of language attitudes as well as its importance in Deaf Studies.

American Sign Language (ASL), a grammatically complete language that is distinct from English, evolved from Old French Sign Language but was recognized by linguists only in the 1960s. This recognition correlates with the identification of language and language attitudes as a cultural identifier. Unlike other languages, sign language is not simply transmitted through the home, as deaf children are often born to hearing parents; instead the history of sign language is tied closely to educational systems. Books written by Deaf individuals frequently focus on the topic of Deaf education and sign language, and the majority of research into language attitudes conducted over the past 60 years in the Deaf community has been oriented toward the attitudes of children undergoing Deaf and sign language education.

Numerous language attitude studies conducted by various groups have noted language discrimination, regardless of the languages assessed. Many influential hearing people have argued that ASL and other sign languages are non-languages, suggesting that they are “derivatives of language” and that linguistic syntax, functional morphology (structure-dictating behavior), and phonology (the sounds of speech) do not exist in sign languages. Though much of this criticism comes from so-called experts, others have suggested that these positions can be attributed to a lack of understanding of sign language. Even early pioneers of Deaf education, such as Thomas Gallaudet in the 19th century, concluded that schools that employed the use of sign language produced superior students. Still, the stigma against sign language led to dramatic reductions in the number of Deaf teachers in the 20th century. This type of language bigotry is common and can be seen in both educational and public policy throughout history; the language conversion of Native Americans to English in early U.S. history is one such example outside of Deaf Studies. Many still believe that the teaching of ASL is detrimental to English literacy. Language attitude assessments are one way to measure subtle changes in the perception of ASL and other signed languages as education and understanding are increased.