French Sign Language
Sign language of deaf people in France and Swiss French areas.
French Sign Language (LSF) is the native sign language of deaf and hard-of-hearing communities in France and the French-speaking parts of Switzerland. Ethnologue reports around 100,000 native signers. LSF is related to—and partly ancestral to—several other sign languages, including Dutch Sign Language, Flemish Sign Language, Belgian-French Sign Language, Irish Sign Language, American Sign Language, Quebec Sign Language, Brazilian Sign Language, and Russian Sign Language.
A common misconception credits the language’s origin to Charles Michel de l’Épée, the abbé de l’Épée. In reality, he stumbled upon an existing sign language by chance: while sheltering from rain in a house, he encountered a pair of deaf twin sisters and was impressed by the rich, complex language they used with each other and with the deaf Parisian community. The abbé learned this language—now called Old French Sign Language—and later founded a free school for the deaf. There, he created a system he called “methodical signs” to teach reading and writing. Between 1771 and 1774, he gave public demonstrations that drew educators and celebrities from across Europe, spreading the idea that deaf people could be educated through gesture.
His methodical signs mixed existing sign vocabulary with invented grammatical terms. The resulting artificial language was overly complicated and impractical for his students. For instance, where his system would spell out “unintelligible” with five signs (“interior-understand-possible-adjective-not”), natural sign language would simply use “understand-impossible.” The abbé did not invent LSF, but his key contributions were recognizing that deaf people could think without oral language and accelerating the language’s natural growth by bringing many deaf students together in one place.
LSF flourished until the late 19th century, when a divide emerged between manualist and oralist approaches. In 1880, the Milan International Congress of Teachers for the Deaf-Mute chose the oralist tradition, and sign language was subsequently banned from classrooms as a barrier to speech. This remained the case in France until the late 1970s, when the deaf community began campaigning for sign language recognition and bilingual education. In 1991, the National Assembly passed the Fabius law, officially allowing LSF in deaf education. A 2005 law fully recognized LSF as a language in
- field
- Sign language
- region
- France and French-speaking parts of Switzerland
- native_speakers
- 100,000 (Ethnologue)
- related_languages
- Dutch Sign Language, Flemish Sign Language, Belgian-French Sign Language, Irish Sign Language, American Sign Language, Quebec Sign Language, Brazilian Sign Language, Russian Sign Language
Lore & Background
French Sign Language is frequently, though mistakenly, attributed to Charles Michel de l'Épée. He discovered the existing language by accident while escaping rain, encountering deaf twin sisters and noting the richness of their communication. He learned this Old French Sign Language and established a free school for the deaf, developing a system called 'methodical signs' to teach reading and writing. His public demonstrations from 1771 to 1774 popularized the idea that deaf people could be educated through gesture.
The methodical signs he created mixed natural sign words with invented grammatical terms, resulting in an artificial language that was over-complicated and unusable. For instance, his system used five signs for 'unintelligible' where natural language used two. LSF was not invented by l'Épée, but his contributions included recognizing that deaf people did not need oral language to think and accelerating the language's growth by gathering many deaf students together.
LSF flourished until the late 19th century, when a schism developed between manualist and oralist schools. The 1880 Milan International Congress of Teachers for the Deaf-Mute preferred oralism, and sign language was forbidden in classrooms. This persisted until the late 1970s, when the deaf community campaigned for recognition. The Fabius law of 1991 authorized LSF use in education, and a 2005 law fully recognized it as a language.
Reader's Guide
French Sign Language holds significance as a historically influential sign language that predates and partially underlies several other sign languages, including American Sign Language and Brazilian Sign Language. Its development was shaped by Charles Michel de l'Épée, who, though mistakenly credited as its inventor, recognized the existing language and established a school that accelerated its growth. His methodical signs, while artificial and impractical, demonstrated that deaf people could be educated through gesture, attracting international attention. The language faced suppression after the 1880 Milan Congress, which favored oralism, leading to a ban on sign language in classrooms until the late 20th century. The Fabius law of 1991 and the 2005 law marked a reversal, officially authorizing LSF in education and recognizing it as a full language. LSF's legacy includes its role as a foundational language for multiple sign languages worldwide and its resilience in the face of oralist policies. The French manual alphabet remains in use to distinguish signs and incorporate French words.
Did You Know?
- French Sign Language is related and partially ancestral to American Sign Language, Brazilian Sign Language, and Russian Sign Language.
- Charles Michel de l'Épée discovered the language by accident while ducking into a house to escape rain and encountering deaf twin sisters.
- The 1880 Milan International Congress of Teachers for the Deaf-Mute decided that the oralist tradition would be preferred, leading to a ban on sign language in classrooms.
- A 2005 law fully recognized French Sign Language as a language in its own right.
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