as small as a world and as large as alone

3:01am June 28, 2013

virgingerroot:

strictly-hawaiian:

A dying language has been uncovered here in Hawai’i. Researchers are calling its existence ground breaking especially since it became so close to being lost forever.

Hawai’i Sign Language is one of only two known surviving sign languages in the United States—the other is American Sign Language. HSL is believed to have originated among the Deaf population here in the 1800’s – long before ASL arrived in the 1940s. Researchers have identified 40 Native signers of Hawaii Sign Language.  Most are in their 70’s or older, which is why linguists say without this effort to restore HSL—the language would’ve died with this generation. Linguists say this is the first time since the 1930s a previously unknown language, spoken or signed, has been documented in the U.S.  They believe Hawai’i Sign Language may be the last of America’s undiscovered languages.

awesome

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