African sign languages are not American product: Indigenous African Deaf People and indigenous African Sign Languages
As an African sign
linguist, I have been bombarded with comments such as, “Oh if you sign research
on sign languages in Ghana, then you must know ASL”; “I guess all Deaf people
in Africa know ASL because of Andrew Forster” etc. These comments come from
people who genuinely have not taken time to study the dynamics of African sign
languages. I must comment that American Sign Language (ASL) has strongly influenced
sign languages on the African continent and most urban sign languages used in
Africa (with connections to ASL) are believed to be mutually intelligible
(of some sort) to ASL. In other words, there are lexical and grammatical
similarities in some of these urban sign languages (which I term foreign-based
African sign languages). This post is
intended to highlight the indigenous African Deaf people and their sign
languages. For more information on the differences between urban and rural sign
languages, I suggest you read my post on indigenous African sign languages.
Link provided below.
https://medgronah.blogspot.com/2020/10/indigenous-african-sign-languages.html
The scramble for Africa which
took place between 1881 and 1914 led to the partition of Africa into different
geographical zones headed by the European colonial powers. As part of the package
of foreign rule, most African nations came under European authorities and the
transmission of languages and cultures were imminent in this colonial era. However,
many indigenous languages of African survived colonial rule because they became
the channel of communication between the colonial lords and the indigenous
African people. It is worth to note that some African languages had their
grammars developed during these times by foreigners. However, not much
information is documented on the state of indigenous African sign languages and
Deaf people of indigenous communities in Africa. From all indications, the Europeans
did not show much interest in Deaf education or sign languages in Africa during
the colonial era. On the other hand, one man’s journey to the continent of
Africa has changed the narrative and after 60 years, he is still celebrated as
a hero in the liberating of Deaf Africans and introducing sign language
as the language of Deaf education across the length and breadth of Africa.
Andrew Forster
(1927–1987), a pioneering deaf African American missionary, is believed to have
provided the single and the most important contributions to the education of
deaf Africans in the colonial and postcolonial periods (1,2). However, this
heroic act of Andrew Foster has also led to the assumption that all African
sign languages are American product and can be judged on the same level as
ASL. From the detailed research of Miles (3) we have come know that indigenous
Africans had a vibrant Deaf culture with the use of the visual-spatial
modality for communication. These indigenous Deaf communities were not
influenced by the Americanization of African sign languages and although most
stand at the brink on endangerment (4) their unique features that distinguish
them from the foreign-based African sign languages cannot be overemphasized.
Deaf cultures in African
are defined by shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviours, and shared
institutions of communities that are influenced by deafness and which use sign
languages as the main means of communication. Indigenous Deaf communities in
Africa represent a diverse meeting of individuals who come together for many
purposes. The priorities of such Deaf communities include Deaf identity, Deaf
customs, dissemination of information (politics to religion) and more recently
the advocate for Deaf-centred education in an accessible language (i.e. signed
language) and the campaign for the inclusion of signed languages as part of the
national languages. Although religion has played a major role in the
evangelization of Deaf communities and the gradual introduction of foreign sign
languages in most Sub-Saharan African communities (1, 5), most indigenous
African sign languages have escaped the infiltration of foreign sign languages
and have survived with little or no exposure to foreign sign systems. On the other
hand, the internal battles with urban (foreign-based) African sign languages
continue and Edward (5) comment on the gradual but forceful baptism of
Adamorobe Sign Language (AdaSL) signers into Ghanaian Sign Language.
Indigenous Deaf people in
Africa have faced several challenges in recent times that have been identified
as a potential trigger for a linguistic genocide (4). For example,
societal policies have led to the gradual reduction of the number of individuals
in indigenous African Deaf communities. The marriage law in Adamorobe (Ghana)
is one of such societal policies that is believed to cause devastating consequences
in the numbers of Deaf individuals in Adamorobe. The marriage law banned Deaf-Deaf
marriages in Adamorobe in an attempt to curb the high rate of hereditary
deafness. Edward (6) presents some of the effect of this law as the reduction
in the number of Deaf individuals in Adamorobe, lack of financial support,
teenage pregnancy and these unwittingly perpetuate the circle of poverty in
Adamorobe.
The untarred road leading to Adamorobe, Ghana (Picture taken in 2018)
The recent interest in
the linguistics of indigenous African sign languages (Adamorobe Sign Language, Hausa
Sign Language, Magagingari Sign Language etc.) is worth commenting. However,
there is still the need to study indigenous African Deaf people and their sign
languages because there is evidence to show that their sign languages are at risk
(4,7). Furthermore, from history, we have evidence to show that indigenous Deaf
Africans did occupy social spaces and took roles across the full spectrum of
life (3) but many of their experiences have involved severe economic poverty
and adversity (6), stigmatising attitudes (6,4) and exclusionary practices (4,3).
We also have evidence of great resilience, perseverance, humour and ingenuity
in their dealings and communications with the non-deaf world (3).
Societies contribute to
the wellbeing and growth of its people. Societal discrimination and
stigmatization of Deaf people only make matters worse. Governmental agencies
and opinion leaders are needed to bring changes to societies that will ensure
equal opportunities for all (8). While the linguistic research momentum seems
to have been kept up largely by expatriates and by Europeans resident in Africa,
there have been useful contributions by black Africans on the practical
outcomes and applications (3).
Indigenous African sign languages are unique and not product of America because most of these sign languages have histories that are believed to be older than the history of American Sign Language.
https://old.linguistlist.org/issues/31/31-2688.html
References
5. Edward, M. (forthcoming). Signing out: Linguistic contact and possible endangerment of the Adamorobe Sign Language. In: R. Graham, ed. Developing Languages in Africa. s.l.:Cambridge Scholars Publishers.
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