Martha's Vineyard Sign Language

Martha's Vineyard Sign Language (MVSL) is a sign language (now extinct) that was widely used on the island of Martha's Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts, U.S, from the early 18th century to the late 20th century. It was remarkable for its use by both deaf and hearing people in the community, and as a result, deafness was not a barrier to participation in public life. Martha's Vineyard Sign Language is also notable for the role it played in the development of American Sign Language.

Related Topics:
Sign language - Extinct - Martha's Vineyard - Massachusetts - U.S - 18th century - 20th century - Deaf - Hearing - American Sign Language

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The language was able to thrive on Martha's Vineyard because of the unusually high percentage of deaf islanders. In 1854, when the island's deaf population peaked, the United States national average was one deaf person in 5728, while on Martha's Vineyard it was one in 155. In the town of Chilmark, where most of the deaf people lived, it was 1 in 25, and in a section of Chilmark called Squibnocket, as much as a quarter of the population of 60 was deaf.

Related Topics:
Deaf - 1854 - Chilmark

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Hearing people sometimes signed even when there were no deaf people present; children signed behind a schoolteacher's back, adults signed to each other quietly during a sermon at church, and farmers signed to their children across a wide field where the spoken word wouldn't carry. Frequently the punchlines to dirty jokes were told only in sign language.

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