The language of signs created by Bonet was used by Abbé Charles-Michel de l-Épée, to create a fingerspelling alphabet in the 18th century.

In 1620, in Spain, the priest Juan Pablo Bonnet published a text about teaching deaf people to speak, using gestures as a tool.

In the western world, the first studies dedicated to sign languages date from the 17th century. In ancient texts we see authors commenting about deaf people and sign language. Sign languages have always existed in deaf communities. Sometimes signing and lip-reading are combined, especially when deaf and hearing people are talking to each other. It is hard to learn, and few people do it well. Some deaf people can also understand spoken words by looking at a speaker's lips. But, deaf people tend to use sign languages, and hearing people tend to use spoken languages. Sometimes hearing people use a sign language with each other, rather than speaking. Sometimes deaf people do use a spoken language, especially when talking with hearing people. Or, they may learn a sign language by going to signing classes or by studying a sign language workbook, which can come with an interactive DVD. Hearing people may learn to sign directly from deaf people. They may meet other deaf people at school or in the streets. But, most deaf children have hearing parents, so they learn a sign language from other deaf people. Language learning and use ĭeaf people sometimes learn a sign language from their family, especially if their parents are deaf.

How to sign won in sign language