"Hand Talk": The Sign Language Utilized by Native Americans Prior to the Development of ASL4/14/2023 Centuries prior to the development of American Sign Language, Native American Sign Language, also called Hand Talk, was created. It contains four crucial parameters: hand location, hand movement, hand shape, and hand orientation: 1. Hand Location: The pertains to the positioning of a sign in an area. A sign’s significance can be changed if placed in a different area, such as in front of the face as opposed to in front of one’s chest. 2. Hand Movement: This involves how the hands move when making a sign. As an example, in Hand Talk, the signs “afternoon” and “mid-day” are shaped in a similar manner. The only distinction is that mid-day is stationary, and afternoon moves from over the head to the side of the head in an arching gesture. 3. Handshape: Each sign takes on a specific shape in the hand, also known as a handshape. The handshapes of signs are important components. To illustrate, the signs for “yes” and “I know” are similar in all respects with the exception of the handshape; in “yes” the hand makes the characteristic J shape, while in “I-know” the hand forms the L shape. 4. Orientation: This represents palm position which is noticeable in the Hand Talk words “above” and “add.” Both signs involve utilizing the left hand to make a base, through which the right-hand rises, and both have similar movements, locations, and handshapes. However, when signing “above,” the non-dominant hand is placed palm down, and with “add” the non-dominant hand is palm upwards. Hand Talk’s Influence on American Sign Language Not one person can take credit for making American Sign Language. It's history reaches back to early Nineteenth century, when forms of signs developed in New England’s Deaf communities. And throughout the latter portion of that century, Hand Talk impacted the formation of ASL, but historians generally dismiss this fact. Hand Talk comes with regional variations which exist all over North America. These include a northeastern version that ranges throughout the current-day New England, upper Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic states. Researchers believe this version of Hand Talk significantly impacted the creation of American Sign Language. This impact came about in the 19th century with the signing of Native American children who attended the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut. A web based video titled “The Hidden History of “Hand Talk” presents powerful evidence for Hand Talk’s impact on ASL and US culture. However, regardless of its once-huge amount of users and robust influence on American Sign Language, Hand Talk is in decline. This particular effect is caused by the widespread depopulation and Americanization of Native North Americans during the last Two hundred years. As an example, in 1885, roughly 110,000 Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Sioux, Kiowa, Arapaho, along with other tribal peoples used Native American Sign Language or Hand Talk. Although by the 1960s, merely a portion of this quantity remained. And in the Twenty-first century, a small number of active Hand Talk users remained. Similar to the other native languages of North America, Native American Sign Language is dwindling in numbers. But as the amount of proficient signers might be small, the language is still being utilized to varying degrees by some members of Siouan and Algonquian tribes. Moreover, activists like Deaf Cherokee researcher Dr. Melanie McKay-Cody of Arizona are working diligently to maintain North American Hand Talk alive. Dr. McKay-Cody works with tribal groups to help them sustain their signed languages. She also encourages for Hand Talk to be integrated into the mainstream education of Deaf and Hard of hearing students. It’s hoped that this kind of initiatives can help Hand Talk to live on. In this manner, forthcoming generations can easily still utilize and enjoy the language and understand the rich cultural tradition from where it originated.
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May 2023
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