Language Instruction and the Name of ASL
(Continued from page 5)
I believe I found the answer as to why Mr. Fant cared about having a name for ASL. The pressure
from the creation and dissemination of Manually Coded English (MCE) through deaf education was so
strong during the 1970s, and Signed English was one system being used with deaf children among others.
In the foreword of his textbook, Mr. Fant explained that “the two sign languages used most by American
Deaf people are Siglish and Ameslan” (p. iii). He coined both acronyms, which made a formal distinction
between ASL and that of English. Ameslan was “an acronym made from the words, American Sign
Language. [It] does not follow the English grammatical scheme. It is a wholly different language from
English” (p. iii). As for Siglish, it is “an acronym made from the two words, signed English. [It] is sign
language that follows the English grammatical system. It is English presented visually on the hands,
rather than orally by the voice” (p. iii). We now know that Siglish or Signed English is not a signed
language but an artificial manual code for English. Only ASL is viewed as a true language belonging to
the family of human languages worldwide.
In the same year as the publication of the textbook, a deaf artist named Betty J. Miller drew a
picture entitled Ameslan Prohibited. This confirms Mr. Fant's influence on the deaf community and
reinforces the notion that Ameslan was once a popular term. Ms. Miller’s black and white drawing “has
become a symbol of the oppression deaf people face when signing their own language. [It] depicts a pair
of disembodied hands in handcuffs with the fingers severed at several locations”
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_G._Miller).
I believe that Mr. Fant is a pioneer for ASL
instruction. It would be impossible to list all of his
background and accomplishments, but only a small
selection can be highlighted. Mr. Fant was born in
Greenville, South Carolina on December 13, 1931.
He was hearing and had parents who were deaf
and used ASL. Mr. Fant told a reporter for the San
Diego Union-Tribune, “I became bilingual at birth
learning sign language from my parents and
English
from
my
relatives”
(http://articles.latimes.com/2001/jun/17/local/me(http://articles.latimes.com/2001/jun/17/local/me-11666).
He began his teaching career at the New York
School for the Deaf in the 1960s, moved to Gallaudet University in Washington, DC where he worked as
a professor, then CSUN and finally moved to Seattle Central College in Seattle, Washington. I must state
that Mr. Fant co-founded the National Theater of the Deaf in Waterford, Connecticut and the Registry of
Interpreters for the Deaf, which are important contributions to the deaf community and society. He is an
author of several books and articles on ASL. Mr. Fant began his brief retirement starting in 2000. He died
in Seattle, Washington on June 11, 2001 at age 69.
References: Fant, L. J. (1972). Ameslan: An introduction to American Sign Language. Northridge, CA: Joyce Motion Picture, Co.
O’Rourke, T. J. (1973). A basic course in manual communication. Silver Spring, MD: The National Association of the Deaf.
The Power of ASL
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Fall 2016 – Issue 3