Sign Language Literature Review

Chapter 2: Literature Review:
The exact beginnings of ASL are not clear, but some recommend that it arose more than 200 years ago from the merging of local sign languages and French Sign Language (LSF, or Langue des Signes Française).Today’s ASL includes a number of elements of LSF plus the original local sign languages, which over the years have melded and changed into a rich, complex, and mature language. Modern ASL and modern LSF are distinct languages and, while they still contain some similar signs, can no longer be understood by each other’s users. [20]Much previous work has focused on isolated sign language recognition with clear pauses after each sign, although the research focus is slowly shifting to continuous recognition. These pauses

It serves as the primary language for the hearing impaired society. Sign language uses units of forms to interpret the words. These units comprise the following three basic hand forms (Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia, 2001):
a. Hand shape, such as an open hand or closed fist.
b. Hand position, such as on the middle of the forehead or in front of the chest.
c. Hand movement, such as moving upward or downward.
The facial expressions during signing include raising or lowering of the eyebrows, smiling (cheerful) or crying face (sadness). Body language is the integral part of both gestures and facial expressions (Fravia, 2001). These actions express the meaning of what needs to be conveyed to the receiving party. In sign language, a word can be interpreted using a sign (i.e. gesture) or fingerspelling to spell each of the letters in the word. Figure 2.1 shows the fingerspelling equivalents for the word “cab” and the signs for numeral numbers: 6, 7 and 8 (Tan, 1998).

Fig2: Fingerspelling for the Word “CAB” and the signs of the Numerals

In France, Abbe Charles de L 'Eppe founded the first public school for the hearing-impaired. He was known as the father of public education of the hearing-impaired and was also considered the father of the language of signs (Stephen, 2005)[21]. In Germany, Samuel Heinicke was the person who introduced the German method of teaching hearing impaired people through oral methods such as speech and speech reading (Lee and Lynn, 2000). In America, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet was the developer of American education of the hearing-impaired people because he was the founder of the first school for the hearing-impaired people in America (Lindsey, 2005). Although different kinds of sign languages are used in various countries, today’s sign language is derived from Gallaudet’s system (Silent Word Ministries Inc,