William Stokoe; Linguist Championed Sign Language

William C. Stokoe Jr., 80, a linguistics professor whose work brought worldwide acceptance to sign language for deaf students. Stokoe, who taught at Gallaudet University in Washington, is credited with winning recognition of American Sign Language as a genuine language, overcoming the contentions of linguists that it was little more than a rudimentary imitation of the spoken word. In 1955, when Stokoe arrived at Gallaudet, the only university for the hearing-impaired in the United States, he knew little about sign language or even about deafness. He was expected to instruct without using sign language, teaching deaf students by insisting that they communicate orally and read lips. But deaf students signed freely among themselves, and Stokoe became fascinated with the language. Five years later, Stokoe published the groundbreaking “Sign Language Structure.” In 1964, he was the co-author of “A Dictionary of American Sign Language on Linguistic Principles.” The books helped prove that sign language met the definition of a language. Stokoe’s beliefs gradually drew wide acceptance and persuaded schools for the deaf to reevaluate their approaches. His work won him a hero’s status among many deaf students. On April 4 in Chevy Chase, Md.