Preceden

History of Sign Language Timeline

(1545 - Present)

The history of sign language spans centuries of development in how deaf people communicate and are educated. From Pedro Ponce de León's pioneering work with deaf students in 16th-century Spain, through Abbé de l'Épée's establishment of the first public school for the deaf in Paris, to Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet bringing French methods to America, sign languages evolved into fully recognized natural languages. Key milestones include the rise of oralism after the 1880 Milan Conference, the eventual recognition of ASL as a legitimate language by linguists like William Stokoe, and ongoing advocacy for deaf rights and accessibility. Less

Go to: Timeline | Event List | Key Facts | Directory

Ancient and Medieval Origins

Monastic sign languages emerge in Europe

900 - 999

In the Middle Ages, monastic sign languages were used by a number of religious orders in Europe since at least the 10th century, often to maintain silence vows while still allowing communication among monks.

De Vaca observes signing natives in Florida

1500 - 1599

In the 1500s, de Vaca observed natives in the western part of modern-day Florida using signs, providing early European documentation of indigenous sign communication in North America.

Image source: History of sign language

De Vaca observes signing natives in Florida

Early Modern Europe

Ottoman court uses signed communication

1500 - 1700

Between 1500 and 1700, members of the Turkish Ottoman court were using a form of signed communication, likely due to the practice of muting court pages, making it one of the notable early examples of institutional signing.

Earliest concrete reference to sign language in Britain

1575

The earliest concrete reference to sign language in Britain comes from the wedding of a deaf man named Thomas Tillseye in 1575, suggesting that deaf people in Britain were communicating through signs by this time.

Recorded history of sign language begins in the West

1600 - 1699

The recorded history of sign language in Western societies starts in the 17th century, as a visual language or method of communication, beginning an era of growing documentation of deaf communities and their languages.

Paris deaf community signs in Old French Sign Language

1700 - 1799

In the 18th century, Paris was home to a small deaf community that signed among themselves in Old French Sign Language, creating a rich natural language that would later shape deaf education worldwide.

Image source: French Sign Language

Paris deaf community signs in Old French Sign Language

Deaf Education

Pedro Ponce de León tutors deaf children

1500 - 1599

European education for the deaf is not recorded until the 16th century, when Pedro Ponce de León began tutoring deaf children of wealthy patrons in Spain, pioneering formal instruction for deaf students in Europe.

Image source: Juan Ponce de León

Pedro Ponce de León tutors deaf children

Literacy required for legal recognition as an heir

1500 - 1599

In some places during the 16th century, literacy was a requirement for legal recognition as an heir, which gave wealthy families a strong incentive to educate their deaf children so they could inherit property.

Juan Pablo Bonet publishes first book on deaf education

1620

The first book on deaf education was published in 1620 by Juan Pablo Bonet in Madrid, marking a milestone in the documentation of methods for teaching deaf students.

Image source: Juan Pablo Bonet

Juan Pablo Bonet publishes first book on deaf education

Bonet details manual alphabet for teaching

1620

Bonet's 1620 book included a detailed account of the use of a manual alphabet to teach deaf students to read and speak, influencing deaf education methods across Europe for centuries.

Image source: American manual alphabet

Bonet details manual alphabet for teaching

l'Épée references the Paris deaf community

1700 - 1799

The Paris deaf community signing in Old French Sign Language was referenced by l'Abbé Charles Michel de l'Épée, who recognized the value of the deaf people's own language and built his educational approach upon it.

Image source: Charles-Michel de l'Épée

l'Épée references the Paris deaf community

First school for deaf children founded in Paris

1755

Abbé Charles Michel de l'Épée started the first school for deaf children in Paris in 1755, a landmark institution that spread sign-based deaf education across Europe and beyond.

Image source: Institut National de Jeunes Sourds de Paris

First school for deaf children founded in Paris

International Congress on the Education of the Deaf meets in Milan

1880

In 1880, the International Congress on the Education of the Deaf (ICED) met in Milan, a conference whose decisions favored oralism and had lasting negative consequences for sign language use in education.

164 educators attend Milan Congress with only one deaf participant

1880

The Milan Congress drew 164 educators, only one of whom was deaf, meaning deaf people themselves had virtually no voice in decisions that would suppress sign language in schools for decades.

American Sign Language

Martha's Vineyard settled by carriers of deafness gene

1675 - 1699

Martha's Vineyard, an island in Massachusetts, was settled by people carrying a gene causing deafness in the late 17th century, setting the stage for a unique signing community in America.

Isolation and intermarriage raise deaf population on Martha's Vineyard

1675 - 1840

Limited outside contact and high intermarriage on Martha's Vineyard led to a high density of deaf individuals there, fostering a community where sign language was widely used by both deaf and hearing residents.

Clerc travels to America with Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet

1816 - 1817

Laurent Clerc went to the United States with Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, carrying French Sign Language across the Atlantic, where it mixed with existing American signs to form American Sign Language.

Image source: Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet

Clerc travels to America with Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet

American School for the Deaf founded in Hartford

1817

Clerc and Gallaudet founded the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1817, the first permanent school for the deaf in the United States and a cradle of American Sign Language.

Image source: American School for the Deaf

American School for the Deaf founded in Hartford

Deaf population on Martha's Vineyard peaks

1840

The density of deaf individuals on Martha's Vineyard peaked around 1840, by which time a thriving island sign language had developed and was used throughout the community.

Modern Recognition

William Stokoe publishes Sign Language Structure

1960

In 1960, the linguist William Stokoe published Sign Language Structure, a groundbreaking work that applied rigorous linguistic analysis to signing and transformed how scholars viewed sign languages.

Image source: William Stokoe

William Stokoe publishes Sign Language Structure

ASL recognized as a complete language

1960

Stokoe's Sign Language Structure advanced the idea that American Sign Language was a complete language, with its own grammar and structure, legitimizing ASL in academic circles.

Image source: American Sign Language

ASL recognized as a complete language

Educators begin to understand sign language's role in language acquisition

1975 - 1999

In the late 20th century, educators and researchers began to understand the importance of sign language to language acquisition, reversing decades of oralist policy and restoring sign language's place in deaf education.

Key Facts

  1. Pedro Ponce de León, a Spanish Benedictine monk, is credited with teaching deaf children to communicate using signs in the mid-16th century.
  2. Abbé Charles-Michel de l'Épée founded the first free public school for the deaf in Paris in 1760, helping standardize what became French Sign Language.
  3. In 1817, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc founded the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut, blending French Sign Language with local signs to form the basis of American Sign Language.
  4. The 1880 Milan Conference promoted oralism and banned sign language in deaf education, suppressing its use for decades until its decline in the late 20th century.
  5. In 1965, linguist William Stokoe published 'A Dictionary of American Sign Language,' proving ASL is a complete, natural language with its own grammar.

Source

This History of Sign Language timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

We work hard to keep these timelines accurate, but mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it for future visitors.

Want a timeline like this one?

Generate yours with AI or build it from scratch, for free.

Try It for Free