The Man Who Gave ASL a Voice: William Stokoe and the Linguistic Revolu

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When we think of revolutionary movements of the 1960s, we might picture civil rights marches, rock music, or the moon landing. But there was another, quieter revolution happening—in classrooms and communities where Deaf people were using a language few outsiders truly understood.

Enter William Stokoe, a hearing linguist and professor who challenged mainstream assumptions and proved that American Sign Language (ASL) is a real language—complete with grammar, syntax, and complexity equal to any spoken tongue.

His work didn’t just change linguistics. It transformed Deaf identity, education, and cultural pride.

Who Was William Stokoe?

William Stokoe (pronounced STOH-kee) was a professor at Gallaudet University, the only liberal arts college in the U.S. exclusively for Deaf students. In the 1950s and '60s, most people—including educators—viewed sign language as a crude mimicry of English, something to be corrected or avoided.

But Stokoe saw something very different.

Using the tools of linguistics, he analyzed ASL not as broken English, but as its own sophisticated system of communication. His radical idea? That sign language was not inferior—it was equal.

The Breakthrough: “A Dictionary of American Sign Language on Linguistic Principles” (1965)

In 1965, Stokoe, along with collaborators Dorothy Casterline and Carl Croneberg, published a groundbreaking dictionary that documented ASL using linguistic methods. It didn’t just list signs—it broke them down into phonological components, like:

• Handshape

• Location

• Movement

• (Later expanded to include Palm Orientation and Non-Manual Markers)

This was revolutionary. Until then, the idea that a visual-gestural language could be analyzed like French or Mandarin was virtually unheard of.

Stokoe’s dictionary proved that ASL:

• Has a unique grammar

• Isn’t just pantomime

• Isn’t a derivative of English

He coined terms still used today, such as cherology (from “chereme,” like phoneme, for sign language parts) and Stokoe Notation, a written system for describing signs.

Why Stokoe’s Work Mattered

• Legitimized ASL as a language: For the first time, Deaf people's native language was studied seriously.

• Shifted education: Helped pave the way for bilingual-bicultural (Bi-Bi) approaches in Deaf education.

• Cultural impact: Empowered the Deaf community to take pride in their language and culture.

• Inspired future research: Opened doors for Deaf linguists and scholars to study their own language.

At the time, Stokoe’s work was controversial. He was mocked, isolated by colleagues, and even told he was wasting time. But today, he’s regarded as the father of modern ASL linguistics.

FAQ

Was William Stokoe Deaf?
No. Stokoe was hearing, but he became a passionate advocate for Deaf language rights and autonomy through his work.

Did he create ASL?
No. ASL existed long before Stokoe—it's a natural language that evolved within the Deaf community. What he did was document and analyze it scientifically, giving it formal linguistic recognition.

Why didn’t people believe ASL was a real language before?
Because it’s visual and gestural, many assumed it was a basic or “lesser” form of English. At the time, speech and lip-reading were often prioritized in Deaf education, and sign language was discouraged.