The Extinct 1900s Sign Language from Martha’s Vineyard That Help Shape Today’s ASL

The Amazing Legacy of Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language

Martha’s Vineyard is an island south of Cape Cod. It’s one of the most popular vacation destinations in Massachusetts with over 120 miles of coastline, historic towns, shopping, and loads of outdoor activities.

But in the 19th century, it was the home of Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language (MVSL).

Here are some interesting facts about MVSL and how it helped shape ASL and deaf history.

Born from an Unusually High Number of Deaf People on the Island

Jonathan Lambert, a deaf carpenter and farmer, came from Kent, England to Chilmark on Martha’s Vineyard.

His children became the first congenitally-deaf residents. Chilmark and the rest of the island was incredibly isolated, so intermarriage was the way of life.

The recessive deafness gene was passed down through generations and led to an unprecedented number of deaf people in Martha’s Vineyard.

By 1854, Up to 1-in-4 People Were Deaf on the Island

1 in 155 people on the island were deaf, far exceeding the 1854 U.S. average of 1 in 5,730. In the town of Chilmark’s Squibnocket area, 1 in 4 residents was deaf at its peak.

MVSL is A Mix of Sign Languages

Lambert already knew Old Kent Sign Language before he came to Martha’s Vineyard. And since Chilmark had so many deaf residents, it also had a distinct Chilmark Sign Language used in town.

By the 19th century, it was also influenced by French Sign Language. Together, they evolved into what came to be known as Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language.

Signing Was as Common as Speaking English on Martha’s Vineyard

Both deaf and hearing residents of the island were fluent in MVSL. In some towns like Chilmark, 100% of the people could speak MVSL.

It was so common that MVSL was used in all settings even when there were no deaf people around. For example, town meetings in Chilmark were conducted in MVSL.

Deafness Had No Stigma on Martha’s Vineyard

As one historian noted, Martha’s Vineyard residents saw deaf individuals “as people first,” which was a radical perspective for the era.

There was no discrimination against them. Deaf residents had equal opportunities and held prominent roles in the island. One example is Jared Mayhew, a deaf landowner who founded the island’s first bank.

MVSL Was Passed Down the Generations, Not Taught

Parents taught children MVSL as a “life skill” rather than through formal lessons. Think of it as a secret family recipe being passed down through the generations. Except done verbally and through practice instead of written recipe cards.

The Last Native Signer of MVSL Died in 1952

Katie West, the final Deaf person born into MVSL tradition, died in 1952. By the 1980s, only a few elderly hearing residents remembered the language.

Unique from Today’s ASL

MVSL was quite unique from modern ASL. It had a two-handed manual alphabet, unlike ASL’s one-handed system. It didn’t have grammatical markers for gender or plural forms.

Facial expressions, lip movements, head tilts, and body orientation were also key parts of the language, and it didn’t have fingerspelling.

They also had signs that were specific to life on the island, such as scallop dredging, codfish preparation, and nearby locations (e.g., Squibnocket, New Bedford).

Direct Ancestor of North America’s Top Sign Languages

MVSL contributed vocabulary and grammatical structures to ASL, making it a direct ancestor of one of North America’s most widely used sign languages.

In addition, deaf students from Martha’s Vineyard attended the American School for the Deaf (ASD) in Hartford, Connecticut (founded 1817). Their MVSL signs influenced early ASL.

Linguists Are Trying to Document Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language

Today, Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language is effectively extinct, but there are some who are trying to make sure it doesn’t disappear completely.

Researchers in the 1980s documented remnants of MVSL through elderly hearing residents’ recollections, as no fluent signers remained after Katie’s death.

Martha’s Vineyard is Reviving its Sign Language Heritage

This was led by Lynn Thorp in the early 2000s. She started by studying ASL through resources like Ellen Groce’s “Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language” and the 1989 “Interax” teachings.

About a decade after she started, Thorp began teaching regular ASL classes at local community centers.

Since then, several Martha’s Vineyard public schools have added sign language to their curriculum, from Edgartown Elementary School to Chilmark School and Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School.