Sociocultural Analysis: The Deaf Community of Martha's Vineyard

This essay analyzes the unique deaf community on Martha's Vineyard, focusing on their use of sign language and societal integration from the 17th to the early 20th centuries. The community, with a high incidence of hereditary deafness, was remarkably integrated into daily life, participating in various aspects of society, including urban politics, education, and the economy. Sign language was the primary mode of communication, even though English was also used, highlighting the community's bilingualism. The essay references Groce's (1980) work, emphasizing that the deaf members did not consider themselves disabled, and their fluency in sign language facilitated seamless communication. The study challenges the conventional view of disability by showcasing a society where deafness did not pose a barrier to full participation. The references include Groce (1980, 1981) and Collier (2007), which support the analysis of the community's unique linguistic and social dynamics.

Running head: TITLE OF THE PAPER 1
Title of the paper
Student’s Name
Institute Affiliation

TITLE OF THE PAPER 2
Everyone Spoke Sign Language
Martha's cannabis communities displayed a very high incidence of deep hereditary
deafness from the 17th century to the early 20th century. On the contrary, the Deaf-born
vineyards were so fully integrated into the everyday life of the society that they did not consider
themselves disable. In every aspect of life including urban politics, education, church, and social
life, deaf people were included. In addition, they were involved in village economies same as
non-deaf people, through agriculture or fishing-dominated jobs (Groce, 1980). In general,
educational backgrounds did not seem to be very important in distinguishing between deaf and
non-deaf individuals, because in these settings scholarly knowledge was either absent or not
relevant. The community did not only use sign language but also English, which is quite amazing
considering the history of the island. The sign language is learned in childhood and the level of
fluency was also high. The communication was almost flawless, and it didn’t seem that disability
was a barrier (Collier, 2007). Like the English grammar language system, sign language also has
syntax, grammar, etc. The community was bilingual, and it was clearly seen in their ways of life.
Only in Sunday Church Sermon, the deaf vineyards needed some help. Further, the author goes
on to elaborate on the research on the origin of sign language.

TITLE OF THE PAPER 3
References
Groce, Nora. (1980). Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language. Groce, N. (1981) Everyone here
spoke sign language. Natural History, 89 (6). pp. 10-15. ISSN 00280712.
Collier, M. (2007). Everyone here spoke sign language: hereditary deafness on Martha's
Vineyard. N.E. Groce, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass, 2005, 184pp, ISBN
06742704. Deafness & Education International, 9(3), 167-168.