Who was William Stoke?

William Stokoe is renowned for his pivotal role in establishing American Sign Language (ASL) as a legitimate language. His groundbreaking work in the 1960s, particularly through his research, demonstrated that ASL had its own grammatical structure and was distinct from English. This was a significant shift in the perception of sign languages, which had often been dismissed or undervalued. Stokoe's publication of "Sign Language Structure," and later his contributions to the first ASL dictionary, provided a foundational reference for linguists and the Deaf community alike, solidifying ASL's status as a fully developed language. His efforts were crucial in advocating for the recognition of ASL and in promoting deaf culture and identity, making his contributions foundational to the field of deaf studies.