Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 17, No. 100, April, 1876Various
History
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 17, No. 100, April, 1876
Various
Literature, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals; Science -- Periodicals
In addition to the ordinary one-hand alphabet, the only one commonly
used by deaf mutes, there are five others. One of these is the
two-hand alphabet, sometimes used by hearing children at school. It is
clumsy and inconvenient, however. A second is made by the arms alone.
Still a third is formed by means of the body and arms also, in
various positions, to represent the different letters, and is used
in signaling at a distance. It is not often learned by deaf mutes,
however. A fourth is made entirely with the feet. But the most curious
of all is the facial or expression alphabet. Various emotions and
passions expressed on the face represent, by means of their initial
letters, the letters of the alphabet. Thus, A is indicated by an
expression of avarice, B by boldness, C by curiosity, D by devotion,
etc. This alphabet is sometimes so admirably rendered that words can
easily be spelled by means of it by the spectators.
Deaf mutes also excel in pantomime. A large amount of gesture and
pantomime is naturally employed in their conversation, and it thus
becomes easy to train them to perform pantomimic plays. I have seen
one young man, a deaf mute, whose narration in this manner of a hunter
who made a pair of buckskin breeches, hung them up during the summer,
drew them on when the rainy season came on, and found a hornet's nest
within, was interpreted amid roars of laughter. Thus told, it was far
more vivid than words could have possibly made it, and infinitely more
amusing.
The sign-language, growing slowly from natural signs--i.e., signs
representing the shape, quality or use of objects, or the action
expressed by verbs--has at length become a perfected system. This
language is the same throughout Europe and America, so that deaf mutes
from any country of Christendom who have acquired the regular system
can readily communicate with each other, however diverse their
nationality. Being formed from analogy, many of the signs are
exceedingly expressive. Thus, the sign for "headache" is made by
darting the two forefingers toward each other just in front of the
forehead. The sign for "summer" is drawing the curved forefinger
across the brow, as if wiping off the sweat. "Heat," or rather
"hotness," is expressed by blowing with open mouth into the hand,
and then shaking it suddenly as if burned. "Flame" and "fire" are
represented by a quivering, upward motion of all the fingers. The
memory of the ancient ruffled shirt of our forefathers is perpetuated
in the sign for "genteel," "gentility" or "fine." It is the whole open
hand, with fingers pointing upward, shaken in front of the breast.
"Gentleman" and "lady" are expressed by the signs for "man"
(the hat-brim) and "woman" (the bonnet-string), followed by the
ruffled-shirt sign. The sign for "Jesus" is doubtless the most tender
and touching in the whole language. It is made by touching the palm
of each hand in succession with the middle finger of the other. This
represents the print of the nails.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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