Preservation of the Sign Language (1913)
George Veditz, a former president of the National Association of the Deaf, delivers a passionate address in American Sign Language defending signing against the era's push toward oral-only deaf education.
Preservation of the Sign Language was commissioned by the National Association of the Deaf as oralism gained ground in deaf education, and Veditz’s film stands as one of the earliest deliberate efforts to preserve a language on camera. It was added to the National Film Registry in 2010.
Background
Preservation of the Sign Language was made in 1913 by George Veditz, a former president of the National Association of the Deaf, who addresses the camera in American Sign Language. The film was commissioned by the association at a time when oral-only methods were gaining ground in deaf education. It is one of the earliest deliberate efforts to preserve a sign language on film. It was added to the National Film Registry in 2010.
What to watch for
The film is a single continuous address rather than a dramatized story. Veditz stands before the camera and delivers a passionate speech defending signing against the push toward oral-only instruction. Watch his expressive use of signs, along with his facial expression and posture, which carry much of the argument. Because the film is largely a record of the language, its value lies in the signing itself, and it is studied as early evidence of ASL as an older generation used it. The rhetorical urgency reflects the political stakes for deaf people of its time, when schooling and identity were at issue.
