French Sign Language

People use hands to talk in France.

This is called French Sign Language. Many people use it to share ideas. It is a real language.

They use a hand alphabet to spell words. This helps them say any word. Some people in Switzerland use it too. It is a very special way to speak.

French Sign Language is used in France.

It is also used in parts of Switzerland. About 100,000 people use it as their main language. They use their hands to share ideas. They also use a hand alphabet to spell words. This helps them say any word.

A man named Abbé de l'Épée found this language. He did not invent it. He saw twin sisters using it. He saw how rich the language was. He started a school for deaf students. He wanted them to learn to read and write. For a long time, schools did not allow sign language. They wanted students to learn to talk instead. This changed in the late 1970s. The deaf community fought for their language. In 1991, a new law helped children learn with signs. In 2005, a law said it is a real language. This language is a part of a big family. It is related to American Sign Language. It is also related to Russian Sign Language.

French Sign Language, or LSF, is a beautiful way to communicate. It is used by deaf and hard-of-hearing people in France. Many people use it in French-speaking parts of Switzerland too. About 100,000 people use LSF as their native language. People use their hands and bodies to share many ideas. It is a rich and complex way to speak.

To use LSF, people use many different hand shapes. They also use a special manual alphabet. This alphabet helps signers spell out French words. It is useful for names or words without a sign. Signers can also use signs to build long ideas. Some signs are very simple and quick to make. Other signs might take a few steps to finish.

A man named Charles Michel de l'Épée found this language. He did not actually invent it himself. He discovered it by accident one rainy day. He went into a house to stay dry. There, he saw twin sisters using signs to talk. He was amazed by how much they could say. He started a free school for deaf students. He wanted to help them learn to read.

History shows that LSF has faced many hard times. In 1880, leaders met at the Milan Congress. They decided that talking was better than signing. For a long time, sign language was banned in schools. This lasted in France until the late 1970s. Then, the deaf community fought for their rights. In 1991, the Fabius law helped children learn with signs. In 2005, a law called LSF a real language.

LSF is part of a very large family. It is related to many other sign languages. For example, it is related to American Sign Language. It also links to Dutch and Belgian sign languages. Even Russian Sign Language is part of this family. This shows how ideas can travel across the world. Many different cultures share these deep connections.

French Sign Language, known as LSF, is a visual way to communicate. It is used by deaf and hard-of-hearing people. These communities live in France and French-speaking parts of Switzerland. According to Ethnologue, LSF has 100,000 native signers. It is a complex and rich language. LSF is not just a set of gestures. It is a complete system for sharing thoughts and ideas.

Signers use several tools to communicate clearly. One important tool is the French manual alphabet. This is a system of hand shapes used for fingerspelling. Signers use it to spell out French words. This is helpful for names or specific terms. The alphabet also helps to distinguish certain signs. By using these hand shapes, signers can incorporate any French word into their signing.

LSF is part of a large family of languages. It is related to many other sign languages around the world. For example, it is an ancestor to American Sign Language (ASL). It also shares roots with Dutch Sign Language (NGT) and Flemish Sign Language (VGT). Other related languages include Belgian-French Sign Language (LSFB) and Irish Sign Language (ISL). It even connects to Quebec Sign Language (LSQ), Brazilian Sign Language (LSB), and Russian Sign Language (RSL).

History often links LSF to Charles Michel de l'Épée. People mistakenly believe he invented the language. In reality, he discovered it by accident. He ducked into a house to escape the rain. There, he saw deaf twin sisters communicating. He was struck by the complexity of their language. This language is now called Old French Sign Language. He eventually opened a free school for the deaf.

At his school, de l'Épée created "methodical signs." This was an artificial language system. He mixed natural signs with invented grammatical terms. He wanted to help students learn to read and write. However, the system was often too complicated. For example, to say "unintelligible," his system used five signs. It used "interior-understand-possible-adjective-not." Natural LSF was much simpler. A signer would just say "understand-impossible."

Despite his errors, de l'Épée made important contributions. He showed that deaf people could think without oral language. His school brought many deaf students together. This helped the natural language grow and flourish. However, LSF faced a major challenge in the late 19th century. A conflict grew between manualists and oralists. Oralists believed that teaching speech was better than using signs.

In 1880, the Milan International Congress of Teachers for the Deaf-Mute met. They decided to prefer the oralist tradition. Because of this, sign language was banned in many classrooms. Educators saw it as a barrier to learning how to talk. This ban lasted in France until the late 1970s. During this time, the deaf community began to fight for their rights. They wanted recognition for their language and bilingual education.

Progress finally came through legal changes in France. In 1991, the National Assembly passed the Fabius law. This law officially allowed LSF to be used in education. This helped deaf children learn using their natural language. Later, in 2005, another law was passed. This law fully recognized LSF as a language in its own right. Today, LSF is a respected and vital part of French culture.