Sign Language Speech Outline

Kaylee McCullion
Sign Language
Topic: Sign Language
General Purpose: To inform the audience
Specific Purpose: To inform and explain the different, unique techniques that the deaf
community has created in order to communicate with one another.
Thesis: The deaf community, which consists of five percent of the world population, has
established its own language that is known all around the world.
I.

Introduction
A. Attention Getter: 360 million people in this world do not have the ability to hear.
It is a sense that many people on a daily basis take for granite. This five percent of
the populations total deals have come up with their own unique language that is
known all around the world in every country.
B. Reason to Listen: The deaf culture has established its own way of
communicating within the non-hearing world, but has also made it possible for
the hearing world to learn how to communicate with the deaf world as well. It is
important to know how to interact with different cultures in society.
C. Thesis Statement: The deaf culture, which consists of five percent of the world
population, has established its own language that is know all around the world.
D. Credibility Statement:
1. I have read a vast amount of articles on the Internet that has informed me
about the deaf community.
2. I interviewed two members of the deaf community that gave me insight on
what it is like to live in the non-hearing community.
E. Preview of Main Points:
1. First, I will discuss the history of sign language and the schools in which it
was learned and taught.
2. Second, I will discuss sign language itself.
3. Third, I will discuss why sign language is useful.

II. Sign Language was originated and made its own language in the late 19th century.
A. Sign Language has developed and been taught differently in order to make it more
effective over the years. Formation of the first deaf school.

1. Gallaudet, who was a graduate student from Yale and a minister, founded the
nations first school for the deaf that first opened on April 15, 1817.
2. This school was named, The American Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb. It is
located in Hartford, Connecticut. This school is now most commonly known as
The American School for the Deaf.
3. During the time of the opening of this school, dumb meant only unable to
speak(Crowley, 2001). Eventually it was thought that, deaf people were often
regarded as cognitively impaired as well (Crowley, 2001).
4. Mason Cogswell who was a surgeon in Connecticut at the time had a daughter
who became ill from meningitis and loss the ability to hear. Galladuet had met
with the child and believed that she deserves to learn and go to school. When this
was decided, In just one afternoon, sufficient funds were raised to send Gallaudet
to Europe to study the methods of teaching the deaf (Bravin, n.d.).
5. Gallaudet learned the methods of how to educate a deaf person in from Abbe
Sicard, who was the director of the French institute for the deaf in Paris. Because
Gallaudet did not have enough funds to stay long enough to learn everything, he
had Laurent Clerc assist him home to form the ASD. Gallaudet learned the
language of signs from Clerc, and Clerc learned English from Gallaudet (Bravin,
n.d.).
6. The schools Instruction was in sign language, with the goals of imparting
literacy, training for productive labor, and religious salvation (Bravin, n.d.).
7. Parents wanted their children who were deaf to learn how to communicate with
each other so they could eventually communicate with hearing people.

2. Sign Language has been transformed over years to improve the accuracy of the
language and its effectiveness it has during conversation.
A. In the article, American Sign Language written in 2014 it was noted that
more than 200 years ago from the intermixing of local sign languages and
French Sign Language and that the language, over the years have melded
and changed into a rich, complex, and mature language.
B. Abbe Charles Michel de LEpee invented French sign Lanuage and is known
as Father of the Deaf.
C. Laurent Clerc and Thomas Gallaudet invented American Sign Language.
Transition: Now that I have discussed the history of sign language, I will discuss sign
language itself.
B. The deaf community has created its own language that is universally known.

1. Sign Language is the language that the deaf culture uses.

A.

American Sign Language was originated and made its own language in
the early 19th century.

In the article, American Sign Language written in 2014, it defines

sign language as a complete, complex language that employs signs
made by moving the hands combined with facial expressions and
postures of the body.
C. In the article, Hearing Culture vs. Deaf Culture in 2008, Goleman wrote,
language is A set of learned behaviors of a group of people that share a language,
values, rules for behavior, and traditions.
B.

D. In the article, Understanding Deaf Culture written in 2014, it was said that,
American Sign Language is in fact a language all of its own; it is formally
recognized by many governmental and educational institutions as being the
equivalent of any other foreign language.
2.

Visual signs, gestures, facial expressions are vital to sign language

A. Although there are symbols that represent letters in sign language, it
would be hard to understand in context what thing meant if gestures and
expressions werent used.
B. Levenson proclaims, Depend heavily on visual and tactile means of
communication. Gestures and behaviors such as strong facial expressions
and large movements to express emotions need to be considered within the
context of ASL.
Transition: Now that I have discussed sign language itself, I will finally discuss why
sign language is useful and needed.

C.

Language is necessary for communication.

1. Sign Language is how deaf people communicate.

A. Language and culture go hand-in-hand. Without language, it's impossible to
learn the culture. Without culture, language has nothing to refer to (Jay, 2008).
B. Language is the most common way to communicate and interpret what people are
trying to communicate.
C. Sign Language helps non-hearing people have basic symbols to use to
communicate with each other, and then communicate with hearing people.
D. If language did not exist, there would be no way to communicate; therefore
people would not be able to create relationships with the different people of the
unique cultures that surround them.
III.

Conclusion
A. Review of Main Points:
1. Today I first described the history of sign language and the basic schools
that established the principles and educated deaf people.
2. Second, I talked about sign language itself.
3. Finally, I talked about why sign language is useful.

B. Restate Thesis: The deaf community, which consists of five percent of the
world population, has established its own language that is known all around the world.
C. Closure: The deaf community has created its own language that non-hearing
people are educated with in order to communicate with each other and also with
hearing people.

Resources:

American Sign Language. (2014, February 1). Retrieved October 29, 2014,
from http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/pages/asl.aspx
Bravin, J. (n.d.). A Brief History of ASD. Retrieved October 29, 2014, from
http://www.asd-1817.org/page.cfm?p=429
Crowley, J. (2001, January 1). Education: Essay. Retrieved October 29,
2014, from
http://www.disabilitymuseum.org/dhm/edu/essay.html?id=38
Goleman, T. (2008, January 1). Hearing Culture vs. Deaf Culture. Retrieved October 14,
2014, from http://www.start-american-sign-language.com/hearing-culture-vsdeaf-culture.html

Jay, M. (2008, January 1). Who Invented Sign Language? Retrieved October
29, 2014, from http://www.start-american-sign-language.com/whoinvented-sign-language.html
Levenson, R., & Gonzalez, O. (2010, January 1). Deaf Culture. Retrieved October 18,
2014, from http://ssrdqst.rfmh.org/cecc/index.php?q=node/259

Rosen, E. (n.d.). American Sign Language. Retrieved October 29, 2014,

from http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/fall05/rosen/history.html
Understanding Deaf Culture. (2014, January 1). Retrieved October 14, 2014, from
http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/mcdhh/understanding-deafculture.html