Talk:Martha's Vineyard Sign Language
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I made some corrections to this page to show that the MVSL originated in the "weald" of County Kent and not "Weald, England". There is no such town as would be suggested by that punctuation. The "weald" is a geographic term to denote a woodland. Weald's are known throughout England and this one was in the Country Kent.
I also gave more specific details about the evolution of MVSL. It was originally Kent Sign Language that evolved into a distinct language in the village of Chilmark on Martha's Vineyard. Later it combined with French signs to form MVSL. There's a great deal more that can be added to this page. The major reference that is freely available is Nora Ellen Groce's "Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language", but a great deal is to be found in Edward Fay's research and also that of Alexander Graham Bell's papers. Also, Harlan Lane's "When The Mind Hears" has some excellent discussion. This is of interest to me because I am descended from one of the families whom Groce identifies as being a source of hereditary deafness in Martha's Vineyard.
