Linguicism Toward Deaf Signers

Carl Schroeder of Kalaku's Korner blogger/vlogger wrote his comments on John F. Ebgert's EbgertPress.com 3/30/07 whether Alexander Graham Bell (AGB)'s action equaled "racism" of denying the linguistic minority (deaf signers) such privileges and societal rights to the use of "natural language".

Racism is not really a logical term to describe AGB's eugenics movement for imposing linguistic and cultural superiority/eradication upon deaf American signers of the late 1800's and early 1900's. More approriate terms are linguistic imperialism or attempt to "linguicide" the sociocultural minority, ex. deaf signers of the post-Milan Conference period from conveying and expressing their own thoughts in practical and efficient language usage.

"Linguicism" could be also an acceptable term to describe AGB's misguided ideology of assimilating or centralizing the sociolinguistic minority into the society at large on so-called equal basis. Racism?? No! No!

Deaf Americans and other deaf people everywhere, could enact the strategtic multilingualism policies to ensure the protection and preservation of our beloved and precious language (ASL, LSF, BSL and other more) from possibility of linguistic extinction/loss and sociocultural genocide or undermine the existence of minority language usage.

Deaf People everywhere ought to call for the non-intervention policy to make our natural language of the deaf to the protected status to the listing of endangered language usage in the United States and other countries.

The Auslan language (Australian Sign Language) already have been formally recognized by the Australia national government as "community language" other than spoken/written English and the preferred language of the Deaf Australian Community as the language policy statement(s) in 1987 and 1991. (1)


There are numerous struggles to preserve and formalize the language usage somewhere like Pakistan (Bangla language) and other places nowadays. Such endangered languages have been revived from Hebrew to Hawaiian Language lately. Aragonese, Gaelic and Aramaic language are non-existent language usage so far.

We really could make the language policy of protecting and recognizing the American Sign Language (ASL) at Gallaudet University and other educational facilities of the deaf without making the non-ASL users feel threatened or compromised. That is about the matter of linguistic embraceness and self-determination involved American Sign Language (ASL) and other natural sign language.

ASLize yours,
Robert L. Mason (RLM)

References -

(1) Lo Bianco (1987). National Policy on Languages. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service

Dawkins J (1991). Australia's Language: The Australian Language and Literacy Policy. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service.

http"://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auslan

This e-article on RLMDEAF blog is copyright protected under the U.S. Copyright Law without properly recognize the contribution of author listed above, 30th March 2007.