Meet William Stokoe

Meet William C. Stokoe, a well known Gallaudet Linguistic professor!

Name signs are tied to a sense of identity and are a traditional part of ASL/Deaf culture. In the Deaf community, name signs represent the person and are decided on by Deaf people. Assigning a name sign is usually not given quickly as it is nor without consideration of its rules.

There are several reasons why he has his name sign, but one common belief is it has to do with his hair since it was often worn in a bowl haircut.

Among his team, American Sign Language was first recognized as a language with its own set of rules and grammar around 1960.

Stay tuned for more information on his two Deaf assistants who made it happen within the next couple of weeks!