This article discusses the common origins of written scripts and sign handshapes in tally scores, the board abacus, and finger counting. The early roots of numbers in magic, prognostication, and religious numerology are shown to have resulted in familiarity with alphanumeric code switching particularly in the superstitious practice of fadic addition. The breakthrough of using handshapes for letters, not merely numbers, occurred in eighth-century Northumbria, where Bede recorded a one-hand finger alphabet and showed how number shapes could be used as signs as well as for the transmission of spoken languages by fingerspelling. The possible links between the ancient Celtic Ogham script, the seventeenth-century Century Scottish Glove Alphabet, and the present-day two-hand British and Australian finger alphabet are given as a particular example of the influence of number on the evolution of handshapes.
Known by many as the father of the linguistics of American Sign Language, the late William C. Stokoe, Professor Emeritus at Gallaudet University, began publication of the quarterly journal Sign Language Studies (SLS) in 1972. Since then, SLS has presented a unique forum for revolutionary papers on the language, culture, history, and literature of signing communities, signed languages and other related disciplines, including linguistics, anthropology, semiotics, and deaf studies. The new editor of SLS, Ceil Lucas, is Professor of Linguistics at Gallaudet University, co-author of the Linguistics of American Sign Language, author of numerous articles on the linguistics of signed languages, and editor of the Gallaudet University Press Sociolinguistics Series.
Gallaudet University Press is a nonprofit scholarly publisher that shares knowledge by and about deaf people with the world. We are the only academic press with a mission to publish content by and about deaf and hard of hearing people, and our publishing program reflects the rich cultural life and diverse perspectives of these communities. Our publications support Gallaudet University’s reputation as an international thought leader for deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind people. We are committed to Gallaudet’s bilingual (American Sign Language and English) mission and disseminating works that advance the understanding and recognition of deaf people and signed languages around the world.
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