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Nora Ellen Groce

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Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language: Hereditary Deafness on Martha’s Vineyard Kindle Edition

by Nora Ellen Groce (Author), John W. M. Whiting (Foreword) Format: Kindle Edition

4.6 174 ratings

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From the seventeenth century to the early years of the twentieth, the population of Martha’s Vineyard manifested an extremely high rate of profound hereditary deafness. In stark contrast to the experience of most Deaf people in our own society, the Vineyarders who were born Deaf were so thoroughly integrated into the daily life of the community that they were not seen—and did not see themselves—as handicapped or as a group apart. Deaf people were included in all aspects of life, such as town politics, jobs, church affairs, and social life. How was this possible?

On the Vineyard, hearing and Deaf islanders alike grew up speaking sign language. This unique sociolinguistic adaptation meant that the usual barriers to communication between the hearing and the Deaf, which so isolate many Deaf people today, did not exist.

Editorial Reviews

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“Fascinating… Groce accomplishes much just by pointing out that ‘handicaps’ are something a culture creates, and thus the joint responsibility of us all. That’s what places this book squarely within the best tradition of anthropological writing, and makes it both moving and encouraging.”―Village Voice

“Beautiful and fascinating… I was so moved by Groce’s book that the moment I finished it I jumped in the car, with only a toothbrush, a tape recorder, and a camera―I had to see this enchanted island for myself.”―Oliver Sacks, New York Review of Books

“Brilliantly argued and lively… [Groce’s] information consists of the oral history she herself garnered from some 50 witnesses, almost all more than 75 years old, and the documents in print and in manuscript that cross-check and extend their first-hand accounts. Human genetic theory, ethnographic counterparts and a clear-eyed account of social attitudes are the analytic tools that form her brief and telling work… [A] persuasive and compassionate investigation.”―Scientific American

“When is deafness neither handicap nor stigma? When, as this remarkable book recounts, the entire hearing community learns from childhood to be bilingual in conventional speech and sign language, and when the deaf are wholly integrated into the community’s social, economic, religious, and recreational life… A vivid ethnography of a hearing community’s full acceptance of, and adaptation to, deafness. Groce also constructs a fascinating ethnohistory of this genetic disorder.”―Choice

“It must become essential reading for all concerned with the psychosocial aspects of deafness and for anyone interested in the history of hearing problems. Furthermore, for anyone with a serious interest in the hearing impaired and their problems it will make fascinating and valuable reading… The most readable of books.”―British Journal of Audiology

“[Groce] illuminates and challenges the assumption that discrimination has existed always and everywhere. [She] has made a major contribution to our understanding of deafness, disability and handicap as socially meaningful, dynamic categories.”―Qualitative Sociology

About the Author

Nora Ellen Groce is a medical anthropologist working in the field of global health and international development. She holds the Cheshire Chair and is Director of the International Disability Research Centre in the Department of Epidemiology and Health Care at University College London.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B002JCTI3W
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harvard University Press (March 15, 1988)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 15, 1988
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1028 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 184 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #940,854 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #77 in Sign Language Instruction
- #142 in Disability Studies
- #203 in Social Services & Welfare (Kindle Store)

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4.6 174 ratings

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4.6 out of 5

174 global ratings

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Brian Shaffer

Not Just a Book About Sign Language, But Quite Interesting

Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2015

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I initially read this book 20 odd years ago for a class and found it very interesting. It really isn't just a book about sign language, but a combination of early history of Martha's Vineyard, seafaring, societal norms, social perceptions, deafness, sign language, with a sampling of population genetics theory presented in such a manner that no genetics background is necessary to understand.

One of the lessons I came away with from the book is that the concept of being handicapped is really a cultural perception. At one point, Groce is interviewing one of the old timers from the island who was recounting individuals who had lived in various houses. Groce noted that it might have taken two or three interviews before the person remember that a given individual had been deaf. Deafness was not perceived as a handicap as it was fairly common place in the early Martha Vineyard's society. Instead, it was simply seen as a trait, like being tall or short or speaking a different language. As a result, everyone learned sign language and Martha's Vineyard society was notably different from other societies on the other islands or on the mainland as a result, with different communication dynamics.

This is a very interesting read. Over the years I have shared this book with several individuals.

3 people found this helpful

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Sherry Becker

Personal Interest in the story

Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2011

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I am a direct descendant of Jonathan Lambert and that is why I ordered a copy of this book. It is so exciting to read excerpts about my paternal grandmother's ancestors. My grandmothers maiden name was indeed "Lambert". She married a Burnett, which was my maiden name. She had given me geneology of her family before she died that dates back to approximaely 1581 around the time when Thomas Lambert was born. He,his wife and 3 children sailed on the Mary and John ship to Mass. in 1630. They boarded the ship in Dorchester, England I believe. They were from the Weald of Kent area. Thomas had a son named Joshua who married Abigail Linnell and had an inn on Cape Cod, Barnstable, Mass. Joshua and Abigail's son was Jonathan who moved to Martha's Vineyard and married Elizabeth Eddy. I loved reading about life on the Vineyard and hope to go there one day. I think this book would be fascinating for anyone.

One person found this helpful

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Simon Constable

Concise.

Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2023

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It is a used one as I needed 2, and these are hard to get, but this one had A LOT of writing and notes in it, and pages were quite dirty.
It is shocking that this book was nearly the same price as the new one.

Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2022

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Been looking for this book for a while

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Old enough to know better

Loved by deaf people

Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2017

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I am a physician and have a number of patients who are deaf. Over the years I have purchased this book for a number of them and their response is extremely positive. I have also gotten it for sign language interpreters. They all loved it. If deaf people are enthralled by this book you know it has to be worth reading.

6 people found this helpful

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ejuly

Martha's Vineyard Deaf

Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2011

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This was a great book! While taking an ASL class, I ran across this book. It was very educational as to the deaf of Martha's Vineyard, how they arrived there, and the culture they carved while there. No longer a presence on the island, it was very interesting to see the interaction of the deaf with the hearing and to see the acceptance of the deaf by the hearing. The interviews of island residents were fascinating. Great book - highly recommended!

One person found this helpful

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luv nrg

My daughter is an interpreter

Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2012

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My husband and I took a vacation to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and went to Martha's Vineyard. My daughter told me that Martha's Vineyard had a group of people who were deaf and created their own kind of signing. I bought the book so that she could read up on the history. She has shared it with other deaf interpreters and well as some instructors. Everyone enjoys the history that began on Martha's Vineyard.

2 people found this helpful

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Chris Pendley

An Ingenious Way of Living

Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2016

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As Nora Groce studied the full acceptance and adaptation hearing people had on the integration of deaf individuals into the community’s social, economic, religious, and recreational life, she also structures a captivating ethnohistory of a genetic disorder that lasted centuries in Martha’s Vineyard.
While Nora investigated the profound hereditary deafness in Southeastern Massachusetts, the Vineyarders who were born deaf were fully integrated into daily life. Deaf individuals were included in all aspects of involvement, such as town politics, jobs, church affairs, and social events making it clear that being “handicapped” is an idea a culture creates. Sociolinguistic adaptations were continued throughout inbreeding on the Island carrying on the traditions of treating these individuals just like everyone else. Hearing people had a responsibility to pick up the ways of the deaf population by learning Sign Language which not only advanced themselves intellectually but also advanced the means of culture.
Nora’s writing style is very entertaining full of declarative statements that would make beings question where they stand with the evolving society. Her interviews and research from the seventy-five individuals who lived and interacted with their deaf neighbors and friends were included as evidence to how strong of an impact this genetic disorder had. Having stories drag on with unorganized examination made it difficult to keep track of whether or not the information was relevant.
With the creative intentions and humor from involving both research and interviewee responses, the constant jumping back and forth made for a lack of a story but rather a lengthy informational pamphlet. If you are a person that invests their time questioning science, this book is the perfect demonstration of the “why’s,” “who’s,” and “how’s” for not only the hereditary gene for deafness but opens possibilities for other hereditary genes as well.
If Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language was a good read for you, A Place of Their Own by John Vickery Van Cleve, is another dive into the history of deafness and the involvement of deaf individuals integrating in society largely through schools.

5 people found this helpful

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wheelgirl

A blue print for a better society

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 16, 2007

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Deafness has been the subject of much social misunderstanding.

Deaf people throughout history have experienced much isolation and social disadvantage. The dominant view of deafness in our society is one of disablement. The prevailing response to the condition has been to "normalise" affected individuals by the provision of such things as hearing aids and speech therapy, seeing this as the only way to help them to function and interact in daily life. However, many deaf people do not think of themselves as disabled, but rather as part of a linguistic minority.

Nora Groce's book, examines the very different reaction to deafness that that occurred many years ago within a very small community on the island of Martha's Vineyard, USA. Many of the islands population were deaf. The cause of this is widely accepted to be hereditary. Groce documents the social response to this situation. The book details how islanders were routinely proficient in the islands own sign language, regardless of weather they were hearing or deaf.

This meant that communication was seamless. Individuals were not seen as different and were able to participate in all aspects of daily life.

The book is a wonderfully concise and readable style that uses both oral testimonies and historical records which are wonderfully edited into an extremely readable style to provide a vivid account of a society with an ethos far in advance of its time.

British sign language (BSL) is now recognised as a language in its own right; even so, deaf people often remain unable to access communication on their own terms. What happened on Martha's Vineyard, is a wonderful example of what is possible when responding to the needs of all individuals in society.

5 people found this helpful

Sharpy

Couldn't put the book down

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 17, 2021

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This was recommended to me by a friend. I really enjoyed the book and found it hard to put it down. Great read

Mrs. C. M. Bryer

Good book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 25, 2021

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Interesting and useful for anyone interested in deaf language and culture even though it's American based the insights are fascinating

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