The ASL etymology of the sign that started as: "Dean's Town"
In 1997, Robert "Bob" Cook, of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Metro
Division (DHHSD) of the Minnesota Department of Human Services interviewed
Douglas "Doug" Bahl. During that interview Doug shared the etymology (history /
development) of the ASL sign for Minneapolis:
"The sign is taken from the sign used for a man named Dean, who attended the
school for the Deaf* in the 1870's. The school opened in 1863 and he attended
through 1870 or so. At that time all of the students came from the surrounding
countryside except for one boy who was from Minneapolis. That was a long name to
spell each time, so instead, the kids would refer to it as Dean's home town,
which was easy to sign. After Dean left the school many of the younger children
didn't know who Dean was
so the part about his home town ended up being dropped. But the sign used for
Dean's name continued to be affiliated with the city of Minneapolis.
So, historically the sign came from that used for 'Dean's home town' and was
changed over time
to the one we use today. It all began with a boy named Dean."
- Douglas "Doug" Bahl, 1997
(Video located at: https://youtu.be/NeJ8Ldna_po?t=715 )
Reference:
MN Commission. (2018, August 8). Douglas "Doug" Bahl - Minnesota Deaf
Heritage Oral-Visual Interview [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeJ8Ldna_po
Specifically, see the 11:57 section of the video: https://youtu.be/NeJ8Ldna_po?t=714
Notes:
* The school to which Doug is referring is the Minnesota School for
the Deaf (now known as the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf), located in
Faribault, Minnesota.
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