Lecture
The emergence of sign language in Côte d’Ivoire
- Date
- Friday 22 March 2024
- Time
- Location
-
Pieter de la Court
Wassenaarseweg 52
2333 AK Leiden - Room
- 6C.03
*The orginal LUCL/ASC workshop 'Historical explorations of the emergence of sign languages' has been postponed. Instead, visiting ASC felllow Tano Angoua will give a lecture on 'The emergence of sign language in Côte d’Ivoire'.
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Every language has a history. However, very few have a written history and sign languages are among them.
The origin and history of sign languages differs across continents and countries but little is written about this history. In France, l’Abbé de l’Epée is considered the founder of French sign language. Similarly, for several African countries, particularly those in the West, the introduction of sign language is linked to Reverend Andrew Foster, an African-American deaf Pastor, who made use of sign language for the needs of the education of deaf communities within the structures of the Christian Mission for the Deaf (CMD). Even if the role of these important persons cited was preponderant in the expansion of sign language in their respective spaces, this also indirectly contributed to masking everything that existed previously. And now, we could think of the hypothesis that everything did not really start with the persons mentioned. Deaf communities in West Africa existed well before Foster's arrival and, sign languages were in use. In the workshop we explore questions such as what is known about these languages? What could their origins be? The history of sign languages in general and particularly of those in Africa is under-investigated and, available resources are not well archived. What can we do to advance historical research, to archive sign language data and ensure the longevity and accessibility of archival material? Data on the history of sign languages represent both linguistic and cultural heritage, we will discuss the ways and means for such material to be used for language education, maintenance, or revitalization.
If you are interested in attending this workshop, please register here.
Please note that all talks are given in International Sign. Only the opening talk by Tano Angoua will be accessible in International Sign and English.
Program
| 09:45-10:05 | Coffee and tea | |
| 10:05-10:15 | Opening | |
| 10:15-10:45 |
Tano Angoua |
The emergence of sign language in Côte d’Ivoire |
| 10:45-11:15 |
Timothy Mac Hadjah |
The forgotten history of oralism in Ghana and its role in the emergence of GSL |
| 11:15-11:30 | Tea break | |
| 11:30-12:00 |
Tatiana Koumba |
History of sign languages in Central Africa: the network of actors involved in deaf education and deaf associations impact |
| 12:00-12:3o | Yann Cantin | TBA |
| 12:30-13:30 | Lunch | |
| 13:30-14:00 | Peter Brown | From gloom to boom: The significance of embracing British Georgian working-class sign language and its teachings |
| 14:00-14:30 | Hope Morgan | Tracking the story of Kenyan Sign Language through gesture, folk etymology, and word-of-hand history |
| 14:30-14:45 | Tea break | |
| 14:45-15:15 |
Mariana Martins |
Searching for a common West African substrate in the autochthonous sign language of Guinea-Bissau |
| 15:15-15:45 | Victoria Nyst | The Emergence of European sign languages through a West African lens |
| 15:45-16:30 | Discussion | |
| 16:45-17:45 |
Drinks with snacks in Bamboo lounge |
Workshop co-organized by the CRG African Languages Archives of the Africa Studies Center and the Leiden University Center for Linguistics