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LINGUISTIC FACTORS In Table C page 62, there are more factors which are also apparent in the Deaf community. The first fits: - a factor which encourages loss is the fact that the language is in non-standard form or non written. This is a perfect description of sign. A second important factor is the idea of lack of literacy in the home language. This would mean that the children do not learn to write their own language or to read it. In the case of sign, this would mean that the children did not automatically learn sign - or did not have strong feelings about it. This is common in Deaf families where there are hearing children - the families do not insist and the children do not practise the home language. Sign is not necessarily used in a Deaf home. Another situation is described where the language was dying out. .... Gaelic in east Sutherland declined. Whereas grandparents talked and were talked to only in Gaelic, parents would speak Gaelic to other people but use English with their children, and expect their children to speak English in reply. The children were able to understand Gaelic from hearing their parents speak it but were not used to speaking it themselves. Baker, p 63. This situation is precisely what we see in many Deaf homes. The Deaf parents use sign with each other and with Deaf friends but will try to use speech with the children. It is sometimes asked - do languages die or do they commit suicide? Is sign language committing suicide? Languages can be rescued however, if the conditions are right. Chapter 4 of Baker looks into this. Where the community itself sets up barriers to the majority culture it is still possible to preserve the culture. It is said that there is also a need for a minimum percentage of users for the community to function - so 70% of users of the language are needed in a community to allow the language to develop. However, where this does not happen, it is still possible to have a language preserved if the users interact frequently. Then a cell is formed which is active. This is close to the situation of the Deaf club. Another type of strength comes from religious conviction. So communities such as the Amish in Pennsylvania are still able to preserve their form of German because of the strong religious exclusion which they practise. There was a well-know film with Harrison Ford, which showed the Amish way of life (Witness). In creating and maintaining a language community all of these factors need to be attended to. Only in Gallaudet has there been a sufficient grouping of Deaf people - nearly 2,000. But the emphasis until 1988 was on English and there was a very high proportion of hearing lecturers and other staff. Nevertheless there is the greatest potential for development of sign language in an environment where there are about 2,000 Deaf young people. Baker describes the procedures which can be used to halt the language decline. Campaigning for hearing people to use BSL is of little value if Deaf people are not using it in their homes. This is a major issue and a difficulty which we have to consider in the area of bilingualism. Although education has begun to believe in the bilingual approach, there are still many examples and situations where Deaf people give up their signing in favour of speech. Even where Deaf people do not speak well, they are often prepared to try “for the sake of the hearing person”. The problem is that this gives the impression that signing is not necessary. It is a short sighted policy. Only where we have a core group of people with some public prominence who insist on the use of their language and control the situations where interpreters are used, will there be a focal point for language development. Until that time, educational policies and intervention which have bilingual goals, will tend to falter or get stuck because there are not enough Deaf people who are fully committed to their own language. This is a difficult conclusion and one which we have to examine very carefully.
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