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Mimography or Sign Language Trails as Cultural Heritage

Received: 11 October 2021     Accepted: 22 November 2021     Published: 29 November 2021
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Abstract

Bilingual education for the deaf is always necessary. This text discusses sign languages since antiquity, passing through researchers in different times and countries. The recognition of deaf cultural and historical heritage contributes to the formation of deaf identities. Is it possible to say that Berthier and Bébian, French teachers of the 19th century, contributed to sign languages becoming an identity mark? What was the work performed by Huet in Brazil and Le Clerc in the United States? Moreover, why are French, Brazilian, and American sign languages similar? This article aims to disclose the actions that preceded William C. Stokoe in the construction of sign languages such as the work perpetrated by Berthier, who was deaf, and Bébian, first hearing teacher at the Institute of Deaf-Mute in Paris, who was bilingual, giving classes in sign language, at that time called mimicry. Historical research will be the method to achieve this goal. The work of Bébian Mimographie or Essai d’écriture mimique, propre a régulariser le langue des sourds-muets (1825) will be analyzed. It was the first attempt to graphically register sign language. Psychologists and philosophers, by the end of 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, analyzed the evolution of the term, from mimicry to polyglossy, and, finally, sign language. Some plates of Bebian’s Mimography will be shown and analyzed in this paper, concluding to emphasize that French sign language had a proper grammar, differing from spoken French. Recognizing the efforts of these researchers as forerunners of the fundamentals of sign languages enhances Stokoe’s linguistic research.

Published in Education Journal (Volume 10, Issue 6)
DOI 10.11648/j.edu.20211006.17
Page(s) 258-267
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Sign Language, Roch-Ambroise Auguste Bébian, Mimography, Sign Writing

References
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[2] Aguiar, TC., & Chaibue, K. (2015). Histórico das Escritas de Línguas de Sinais [History of Sign Language Writing]. Revista Virtual de Cultura Surda, (15), 1-28.
[3] Sacks, O. (1998). Seeing voices: a trip to the world of the deaf. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras.
[4] Cantin, Y. (2014). Les Sourds-Muets de la Belle Époque, a communauté en mutation. [Doctoral dissertation, École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris]. Retrieved from: Retrieved from: https://hal-emse.ccsd.cnrs.fr/HISTOIRE/tel-01116965v1.
[5] Bertin, F. (2015). Auguste Bébian et les Sourds: Le chemin de l’émancipation. [Doctoral dissertation, Université de Poitiers]. Retrieved from: http://theses.univ-poitiers.fr/notice/view/60728.
[6] Lage, AL. da S. (2019). Professores Surdos na Casa dos Surdos: “Demorou muito, mas voltaram” [Deaf Teachers at Casa dos Deaf: “It took too long, but they came back”]. Rio de Janeiro. [Doctoral dissertation, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro]. Retrieved from: https://ppge.educacao.ufrj.br/teses2019/tAline%20Lima.pdf.
[7] Benjamin, W. (1933/1987). The doctrine of similarities. In: ____. Magic and technique, art and politics: essays on literature and the history of culture. São Paulo: Editora Brasiliense, pp. 108-113. (Selected works v. 1).
[8] Berthier, F. (1840). Les sourds-muets, avant et depuis l’abbé de l’Épée. Paris: Ledoyen, Retrieved from: https://archive.org/details/BIUSante_67658.
[9] Vigotski, LS. (1983/1997). Fundamentos de Defectologia [Fundamentals of Defectology]. Madrid, España: Visor.
[10] Souza, RM. (2003). Intuições “linguísticas” sobre a língua de sinais, nos séculos XVIII e XIX, a partir da compreensão de dois escritores surdos da época [“Linguistic” intuitions about sign language, in the 18th and 19th centuries, based on the understanding of two deaf writers of the time]. DELTA [online], 19 (2), 329-344.
[11] Lage, AL. da S., & Kelman, CA. (2019). Educação de surdos pelo professor surdo, Ferdinand Berthier: encarando desconcertantes paradoxos e longevas lições [Deaf education by deaf teacher Ferdinand Berthier: facing baffling paradoxes and long-lived lessons]. Brazilian Journal of History of Education, (19), 1-23.
[12] Cantin. A, & Cantin, Y. (2017). Dictionnaire biographique des grands sourds en France: Les silencieux de France, 1450-1920. Paris: Archives et culture, DL, 95-106.
[13] Bébian, RA. (1825). Mimographie ou Essai d’ écriture mimique, propre the régulariser le langue des Sourds-muets. Paris: Chez Louis Colas Libraire. Retrieved from:https://archive.org/details/BebianMimographieLangageSourdsMuets1825/page/n45.
[14] Bertin, F. (2007). Les enfants Sourds to l’école en France: pour un projet bilingual. Enfance, 3 (59), 237-244.
[15] Tuxi, P. (2009). A Atuação do Intérprete educacional no Ensino Fundamental. [The role of the Educational Interpreter in Elementary Education]. [Master’s thesis, University of Brasília]. Retrieved from: https://repositorio.unb.br/handle/10482/4397.
[16] Quartararo, AT. (2002). The Life and Times of the French Deaf Leader, Ferdinand Berthier: An Analysis of His Early Career. Sign Language Studies, 2 (2), 182-196, Winter (Article) Published by Gallaudet University Press For additional information about this article Access provided by UFRJ - Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1353/sls.2002.00072002.
[17] Karacostas, A. (1993). Looking Back: A Reader on the History of Deaf Communities and Their Sign Languages, ed. R. Fischer and H. Lane. Hamburg: Signum Cuxac, C. (1983). Le langage des sourds. Paris: Payot.
[18] Tylor, EB. (1870). Research into the early history of mankind. London: Murray.
[19] Kyle, JG., & Woll, B. (1985). Sign Language: the study of deaf people and their language. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
[20] Congres universel pour l’amélioration du sort des avengles et des sourds-muets. (1879). Paris: Imprimerie Nationale. Retrieved from: https://archive.org/details/8VSUP122_29/page/n12.
[21] Lage, AL. da S. (2016). O implante coclear no processo de medicalização e produção de subjetividades surdas - ou - Do sofrimento e da resistência [The cochlear implant in the process of medicalization and production of deaf subjectivities - or - Of suffering and resistance]. In: CRP-RJ Psychology and Education Commission (Org.). Conversations in Psychology and Education. Rio de Janeiro: Regional Council of Psychology 5th Region, 23-40.
[22] Benjamin, W. (1940/2012). On the concept of History. In: Benjamin, W. The angel of history. Belo Horizonte: Autêntica Editora, 7-20.
[23] Gagnebin, J. M. (2015). Walter Benjamin - forget the past? In: Machado, CEJ., Machado JR., R., & Vedda, M. (Org.). Walter Benjamin. Historical experience and dialectical images. São Paulo: Editora UNESP, 3-12.
[24] Stinckwich, MB. (2006). L’Institut National de Jeunes Sourds de Paris. Paris. Retrieved from: http://www.injs-paris.fr/page/lhistorique.
[25] Brito, FB. de. (2013). O movimento social surdo e a campanha pela oficialização da língua brasileira de sinais [The deaf social movement and the campaign for the officialization of sign language]. [Doctoral dissertation, University of São Paulo]. Retrieved from: https://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/48/48134/tde-03122013-133156/publico/FABIO_BEZERRA_DE_BRITO.pdf.
[26] Lacerda, CBF. (1996). O processo dialógico entre aluno surdo e educador ouvinte: examinando a construção de conhecimentos [The dialogical process between deaf students and listening educators: examining the construction of knowledge]. [Doctoral dissertation, State University of Campinas]. Retrieved from: http://repositorio.unicamp.br/bitstream/REPOSIP/251612/1/Lacerda_CristinaB.F.de%28CristinaBrogliaFeitosade%29_D.pdf.
[27] Rodrigues, JR. (2018). As seções de surdos e de ouvintes no Congresso de Paris (1900): problematizações sobre o pastorado e a biopolítica na educação de surdos [The deaf and hearing sections at the Paris Congress (1900): problematizations about the pastorate and biopolitics in the education of the deaf]. [Master’s thesis, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Vitória]. Retrieved from: http://repositorio.ufes.br/handle/10/10846.
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    Aline Lima da Silveira Lage, Celeste Azulay Kelman. (2021). Mimography or Sign Language Trails as Cultural Heritage. Education Journal, 10(6), 258-267. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20211006.17

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    Aline Lima da Silveira Lage; Celeste Azulay Kelman. Mimography or Sign Language Trails as Cultural Heritage. Educ. J. 2021, 10(6), 258-267. doi: 10.11648/j.edu.20211006.17

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    AMA Style

    Aline Lima da Silveira Lage, Celeste Azulay Kelman. Mimography or Sign Language Trails as Cultural Heritage. Educ J. 2021;10(6):258-267. doi: 10.11648/j.edu.20211006.17

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  • @article{10.11648/j.edu.20211006.17,
      author = {Aline Lima da Silveira Lage and Celeste Azulay Kelman},
      title = {Mimography or Sign Language Trails as Cultural Heritage},
      journal = {Education Journal},
      volume = {10},
      number = {6},
      pages = {258-267},
      doi = {10.11648/j.edu.20211006.17},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20211006.17},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.edu.20211006.17},
      abstract = {Bilingual education for the deaf is always necessary. This text discusses sign languages since antiquity, passing through researchers in different times and countries. The recognition of deaf cultural and historical heritage contributes to the formation of deaf identities. Is it possible to say that Berthier and Bébian, French teachers of the 19th century, contributed to sign languages becoming an identity mark? What was the work performed by Huet in Brazil and Le Clerc in the United States? Moreover, why are French, Brazilian, and American sign languages similar? This article aims to disclose the actions that preceded William C. Stokoe in the construction of sign languages such as the work perpetrated by Berthier, who was deaf, and Bébian, first hearing teacher at the Institute of Deaf-Mute in Paris, who was bilingual, giving classes in sign language, at that time called mimicry. Historical research will be the method to achieve this goal. The work of Bébian Mimographie or Essai d’écriture mimique, propre a régulariser le langue des sourds-muets (1825) will be analyzed. It was the first attempt to graphically register sign language. Psychologists and philosophers, by the end of 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, analyzed the evolution of the term, from mimicry to polyglossy, and, finally, sign language. Some plates of Bebian’s Mimography will be shown and analyzed in this paper, concluding to emphasize that French sign language had a proper grammar, differing from spoken French. Recognizing the efforts of these researchers as forerunners of the fundamentals of sign languages enhances Stokoe’s linguistic research.},
     year = {2021}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
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    AU  - Aline Lima da Silveira Lage
    AU  - Celeste Azulay Kelman
    Y1  - 2021/11/29
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    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20211006.17
    AB  - Bilingual education for the deaf is always necessary. This text discusses sign languages since antiquity, passing through researchers in different times and countries. The recognition of deaf cultural and historical heritage contributes to the formation of deaf identities. Is it possible to say that Berthier and Bébian, French teachers of the 19th century, contributed to sign languages becoming an identity mark? What was the work performed by Huet in Brazil and Le Clerc in the United States? Moreover, why are French, Brazilian, and American sign languages similar? This article aims to disclose the actions that preceded William C. Stokoe in the construction of sign languages such as the work perpetrated by Berthier, who was deaf, and Bébian, first hearing teacher at the Institute of Deaf-Mute in Paris, who was bilingual, giving classes in sign language, at that time called mimicry. Historical research will be the method to achieve this goal. The work of Bébian Mimographie or Essai d’écriture mimique, propre a régulariser le langue des sourds-muets (1825) will be analyzed. It was the first attempt to graphically register sign language. Psychologists and philosophers, by the end of 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, analyzed the evolution of the term, from mimicry to polyglossy, and, finally, sign language. Some plates of Bebian’s Mimography will be shown and analyzed in this paper, concluding to emphasize that French sign language had a proper grammar, differing from spoken French. Recognizing the efforts of these researchers as forerunners of the fundamentals of sign languages enhances Stokoe’s linguistic research.
    VL  - 10
    IS  - 6
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Department of Higher Education, National Institute of Education for the Deaf, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

  • Graduate Program in Education, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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