Prior to the comprehensive works and visionary thinking of William Stokoe, the American Deaf community remained deprived of recognition as a culture and community that shared a complex and intricate language rich in structure and system. Shortly after Stokoe began his twenty-nine year exploration of Sign Language at Gallaudet University in 1955, the Deaf Community’s future as an acknowledged independent community became immeasurably brighter. Through almost three decades of research, observations, learning, and writing, English Professor William Stokoe Ph.D. brought validation to the Deaf Community through by publishing his findings, which not only earned him the title of “Father of American Sign Language” but also legitimized American Sign
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The stubborn Stokoe was outspoken even in high school, willing to go against the grain if he felt justified in his opinions. This quality undoubtedly lent itself to his future maverick forging of his unique path later in life. Stokoe eventually moved on to attend Cornell University where he earned high marks and was granted the Boldt Scholarship while studying English. Suffering from manic-depression, Stokoe spent some time in the hospital before returning to Cornell a year later in 1941. Stokoe’s struggle left him undeterred and - upon returning to his studies - he was again granted the Boldt Scholarship, joined the Phi Beta Kappa honors society, and married fellow Cornell student Ruth Palmeter in …show more content…
Contrary to the accepted opinion of the time, Sign Language was not a simplified or broken substitute for spoken or written English but instead was a purposeful restructuring of English to accommodate the visual form of its communication, allowing context and subject to be communicated in a functional way. From the Linguistics Research Laboratory at Gallaudet University, William Stokoe declared American Sign Language as a legitimate language, revolutionizing perceptions of the Deaf Community and supporting the culture as a
The stubborn Stokoe was outspoken even in high school, willing to go against the grain if he felt justified in his opinions. This quality undoubtedly lent itself to his future maverick forging of his unique path later in life. Stokoe eventually moved on to attend Cornell University where he earned high marks and was granted the Boldt Scholarship while studying English. Suffering from manic-depression, Stokoe spent some time in the hospital before returning to Cornell a year later in 1941. Stokoe’s struggle left him undeterred and - upon returning to his studies - he was again granted the Boldt Scholarship, joined the Phi Beta Kappa honors society, and married fellow Cornell student Ruth Palmeter in …show more content…
Contrary to the accepted opinion of the time, Sign Language was not a simplified or broken substitute for spoken or written English but instead was a purposeful restructuring of English to accommodate the visual form of its communication, allowing context and subject to be communicated in a functional way. From the Linguistics Research Laboratory at Gallaudet University, William Stokoe declared American Sign Language as a legitimate language, revolutionizing perceptions of the Deaf Community and supporting the culture as a