Scientific Introduction
Classical Arabic Sign Language (al-Lugha al-Ishāriyya al-ʿArabiyya al-Fuṣḥā) is a pioneering scientific project created by Ustadh Abdel Karim Ataya. It is founded on linking Arabic signs to the articulation points of the Arabic letters (makhārij al-ḥurūf), thereby enabling the deaf person to speak, enabling the blind person to understand signs through touch, and achieving — for the first time — direct linguistic communication between deaf people and blind people without an intermediary.
The project offers an integrated visual–tactile linguistic system suitable for teaching, training, and scientific research. It restores to the deaf and the blind their natural right to communication, to learning, and to full participation in society.
About the Creator of the Project — Ustadh Abdel Karim Ataya
- Creator of Classical Arabic Sign Language
- Originator of the sensory-tactile method for teaching speech to the deaf
- The first to teach the deaf and the blind together within a single system
- Served for many years at the Institute for the Deaf in Damascus
- Author of the project to unify Arabic sign language on a scientific basis
- Spent half his life among the Arab deaf, and the other half in the struggle of general education
Vision of the Project
Toward a unified Classical Arabic Sign Language that teaches the deaf to speak, connects them with the blind, and opens to them the doors of education, work, and the Qur’an. It unifies the Arab deaf just as our Classical Arabic language unified the entire Arab world in knowledge and learning — in reading and writing that is sound in structure and correct in meaning.
The Scientific Origins of the Project
When Ustadh Abdel Karim Ataya began building the Classical Arabic Sign Language project, he had no knowledge of the international conferences concerning the deaf, such as:
- The Milan Conference (1880), which endorsed the oral method based on speech and excluded sign language from education.
- The Vancouver Conference, which took mistaken decisions by excluding articulated speech from education and adopting sign language alone.
In establishing his project, Ustadh Abdel Karim relied on what was already in place and in use across most Arab countries, on the practical experience he gained during his years as a teacher at the Institute for the Deaf in Damascus, and on direct contact with deaf people and close observation of their linguistic and educational needs.
Thus the project arose from within the Arab educational environment, far removed from those contradictory decisions of the Western conferences, presenting an authentic Arabic linguistic system that brings together speech, sign, and touch, and serves the deaf and the blind together within a single framework.
Chapter One: The Philosophy of Teaching the Deaf
First… before all else
The deaf person does not hear, yet he understands. The deaf person does not articulate, yet he articulates once he knows the articulation points of the letters. The deaf person does not speak, yet he speaks once we link the sign to the sound.
Foremost… at the beginning of instruction
We begin with:
- The articulation points of the letters
- The classical sign
- Linking the sign to the sound
- Touch, where needed
- Gradual speech
What matters… in building the language
- That the sign be classical
- That the movement be clear
- That the hand be intelligible
- That the meaning be direct
- That the system be unified
What matters most… in achieving communication
- Linking the deaf to the blind
- Linking the sign to the sound
- Linking touch to sight
- Linking movement to meaning
- Linking language to life
Chapter Two: Classical Arabic Sign Language
What is it?
A unified Arabic linguistic system founded upon:
- The articulation points of the letters
- The classical sign
- Clear movement
- Linguistic structure
- Established scientific rules
- Linking the sign to the sound
- Linking the sign to touch
Why is it classical (fuṣḥā)?
Because it is founded on the articulation points of the Arabic letters, and not on scattered colloquial signs.
Why is it scientific?
Because it is built on fixed rules, and is not merely a set of popular signs.
Chapter Three: Teaching the Deaf
The sensory-tactile method
It relies on:
- Touching the hand during signing
- Reading movement through touch
- Linking touch to sound
- Training the deaf person in the articulation points of the letters
- Daily practical exercises
Teaching the Qur’an to the deaf
This includes:
- Teaching Surat al-Fatiha
- Teaching the short surahs
- Teaching the articulation points of the Qur’anic letters
- Linking the verse to the classical sign
Chapter Four: Teaching the Blind
How does a blind person understand a sign?
Through:
- Touching the hand during signing
- Reading movement through touch
- Linking touch to sound
- Practical exercises
- Real-life examples
Chapter Five: Communication Between the Deaf and the Blind
For the first time in history, this project achieves:
- Direct linguistic communication between a deaf person and a blind person
- Without an interpreter
- Without an intermediary
- Without a substitute language
by means of the unified visual–tactile sign.
Chapter Six: The Scientific Library
It comprises:
- The book of Classical Arabic Sign Language
- A guide to teaching the deaf
- A guide to teaching the blind
- A curriculum for teaching the Qur’an to the deaf
- A curriculum for teaching children
- A curriculum for teaching adults
- The document for international organizations
Chapter Seven: For Parents
It includes:
- How to begin with your deaf child
- A daily training schedule
- Practical exercises
- Guidance
- Mistakes to avoid
- A three-month teaching plan
Chapter Eight: For Researchers
It includes:
- The linguistic rules
- The structure of the signs
- Terminology
- Studies
- Applications
- The history of the project
- Scientific references
Chapter Nine: The Document for International Organizations
An official version addressed to:
- Universities
- Ministries of education
- Institutes for the deaf
- Centres for the blind
- Scientific conferences
- International organizations
Chapter Ten: A Curriculum for Teaching the Arab Deaf Through Classical Arabic Sign Language
For the education of the Arab deaf to be set right, as the education of their hearing and speaking peers has been set right, and for them to be able to acquire our Arabic language in reading and writing, it was necessary to return to the written language — the source of all knowledge — after it had become clear to the Western nations that sign language alone is incapable of imparting to the deaf the knowledge contained in the language of school textbooks.
For this reason those nations raised the banner of bilingualism, drew up their plans and methods of working with it, relying on the written language as the foundation of education and on sign language as a supporting means.
In the 1980s, God brought about through my hands the correspondence system between the sign terms and their counterparts in our Arabic language. I made the sign correspond to the Arabic meaning, which made it easier for the deaf to understand our language in reading and writing that is sound in structure and correct in meaning. Then God willed and decreed, and I completed the system of Classical Arabic Sign Language in the image of our Classical Arabic language in both structure and meaning; and though the two differ in form, they agree in the essence of language: meaning.
These measures place the deaf, in their teaching and their learning, upon the very same methods as their hearing and speaking peers:
- Working with Classical Arabic Sign Language just as one works in teaching those who hear, articulate, and speak. It alone unites the Arab deaf upon a linguistic system understood by the deaf of the Maghreb just as it is understood by the deaf of the Mashriq, exactly as our Classical Arabic language united the entire Arab world.
- The necessity of calibrating the texts of school textbooks to suit the gradual progression in teaching the deaf — beginning with the concrete and ending with the abstract, until reading and writing are mastered at a good level.
- Sign dictionaries remain a reference for ascertaining the correct meanings of conventional terms.
- The conventional sign remains a colloquial language of communication, used for explanation and clarification, just as the colloquial dialect is used on people’s tongues.
- Teachers first, for they are the qualified specialists in the process of education; then comes the role of the interpreter, where needed. And once the deaf master knowledge, there will emerge from among them teachers and interpreters beyond description.
- The necessity of working with the correspondence system between the language of sign terms and their counterparts in our Arabic language, so that sign expression may align with linguistic expression, and the deaf may better understand our language in reading, writing, and expression.
Practical measures for advancing the education of the Arab deaf
- Conducting a qualifying course for teachers and interpreters in the system of Classical Arabic Sign Language, since it is an exact image of our Classical Arabic language in structure and meaning.
- A qualifying course for all teachers of the deaf in the system of conventional signs, to assist them in explanation during lessons conducted in classical sign language.
- Calibrating the texts of school textbooks to suit the capacities of the deaf, leading to a classical sign language that begins with the concrete and ends with the abstract.
- Forming committees to produce sign textbooks at the primary stage of education, beginning with kindergarten and the first and second grades, and progressing gradually until the deaf master rendering the language of their hands in the image of our written language.
- Forming committees of qualified teachers to prepare models of pre-prepared lessons, so as to unify the work between teachers and interpreters — as happened in Algeria after independence, when Arabic became the national language and there emerged from among the Algerians great professors in the sciences.
Bringing two methods together in a single sign-linguistic system
I have brought together two of the most important methods of teaching the deaf within a single sign-linguistic system:
- The sign symbols within the oral method for teaching the deaf to articulate through signs — a method used in most countries of the world, known in France as la Langue Parlée Complétée (LPC), and endorsed by the Milan Conference of 1880 following the trials of 160 teachers from eight European countries.
- The method of teaching hearing learners in Classical Arabic — that is, dividing words into written phonetic syllables, matched by sign syllables in the image of their pronunciation and their spelling, so that the sign agrees with Arabic in both structure and meaning.
Conventional sign language and our Arabic language are one language: they differ in form and agree in substance, which is meaning — the essence of every language. And although some of those working with the deaf have attempted to establish rules particular to conventional sign language, this language will find no foundation for its construction except upon the rules of our Arabic language, which is the source of instruction for the Arab deaf in all curricula of reading and writing.
The sign foundations for teaching Classical Arabic to the deaf
(a) The sign foundations:
- The abstract sign alphabet, corresponding to the alphabet of our language in both number and meaning
- The sign inflectional vowel marks (al-ḥarakāt al-iʿrābiyya)
- The controls of sign reading and writing (mental spelling)
- The construction of sign words as they are constructed in written Arabic
(b) The correspondence system:
Between the conventional sign and the meanings of Arabic words in nouns, verbs, and particles.
Whoever takes up what God has brought about through my hands — the fruit of my work with the deaf for more than four decades — has taken up the good fortune of the Arab deaf in acquiring knowledge by way of learning, as the Master of Creation (peace be upon him) said: “Knowledge is attained through learning.”
Conclusion of Chapter Ten: The Foundations for Setting Right the Education of the Arab Deaf
Setting right the education of the Arab deaf is not achieved by passing effort, nor by partial attempts. It rests upon an integrated linguistic system that brings together the Classical Arabic language in its structure and meaning, the Arabic sign in its visual–tactile form, the oral method in the articulation points of the letters, and the correspondence system that makes the sign and the Arabic meaning one and the same thing.
This project has been built upon clear foundations, in which there is no ambiguity:
1) A Classical Arabic language that is seen, touched, and spoken One unified language, understood by the deaf of the Maghreb just as it is understood by the deaf of the Mashriq, exactly as Classical Arabic united all Arabs.
2) The alphabet of the articulation points of the letters The foundation that enables the deaf person to articulate, enables the blind person to perceive through touch, and renders the sign an image of correct Arabic speech.
3) The correspondence system between the sign and the Arabic meaning The pillar that makes the sign a language of instruction rather than mere symbols, and makes the deaf capable of sound reading, writing, and expression.
4) Calibrating school textbooks for the deaf So that the deaf may progress from the concrete to the abstract, as hearing learners do, and thus learn Arabic according to its correct rules.
5) Qualifying teachers and interpreters Because education is not set right except by expert hands that know Classical Arabic Sign Language, know the conventional sign, and know how to link them both to written Arabic.
6) Merging the oral method with the classical sign method To achieve articulation, lip-reading, comprehension of signs, the construction of words, and the unification of meaning.
7) One language for instruction, and a supporting language for communication The classical for instruction, and the conventional for explanation — just as the colloquial serves on people’s tongues.
8) Building a classical Arabic sign language That agrees with Arabic in structure and meaning, differing only in form, so as to suit the needs of the deaf in reading and expression.
With these foundations, the education of the Arab deaf comes to rest upon the very same bases as the education of their hearing and speaking peers. They rise through knowledge as others rise, and become capable of reading, writing, and expression; of understanding the language of school textbooks; of communicating with the blind; and of building a new scientific future.
And thus this chapter closes, its pillars complete and its features clear, having shown the reader that Classical Arabic Sign Language is not an idea, but a complete linguistic and educational system, capable of carrying knowledge to the Arab deaf just as Classical Arabic carried it to all who learned it.
And God is the granter of success.
Conclusion
This project is the first unified Arabic scientific system for teaching the deaf and the blind. It restores to them their natural right to communication, to learning, and to full participation in society, and it places the Arabic language in its rightful position as a language that can be seen, touched, and spoken.
This scientific edifice was completed through an effort spanning decades, during which Ustadh Abdel Karim Ataya spent half his life among the Arab deaf and the other half in the struggle of general education — to present today a new Arabic language that is seen with the eye and touched with the hand, and that opens the door of knowledge before those who were long deprived of it.
With this, the Classical Arabic Sign Language Project becomes ready for publication, ready for adoption, and ready to set out toward a new future for the Arab deaf.
And God is the granter of success.
A Scientific Invitation to the Project
Prepared by: Ustadh Abdel Karim Ataya
The Classical Arabic Sign Language Project represents a foundational step in developing the system of deaf education in the Arab world. It offers a new linguistic framework built upon a classical sign language with clear methodological rules, grounded in the phonetic structure of the Arabic letters, and it restores Classical Arabic to its standing as a language of instruction and communication for the deaf and the hard of hearing.
The project rests on a precise linguistic method for forming the sign letters according to their original articulation points, and on an integrated system for constructing the Arabic sentence and linking the sign to its meaning — enabling the deaf learner to acquire the skills of reading, writing, and eloquent expression gradually and systematically. It further provides a unified framework through which the deaf and the blind may be taught within a single system, by means of parallel visual and tactile signing.
The scientific file of Classical Arabic Sign Language has been published on the blog of Ustadh Abdel Karim Ataya, accompanied by a methodological introduction and illustrative images, so as to be available to researchers and specialists in the fields of special education, linguistics, applied linguistics, and educational software.
The project is distinguished as scientific material suitable for academic study, given the foundational elements it contains, chief among them:
- The construction of a new linguistic system open to structural and semantic analysis
- Clear rules for forming the sign letters and their articulation points
- A precise methodology for constructing the Arabic sentence for the deaf
- Broad potential for developing specialized educational curricula
- High suitability for research and development at the postgraduate level
- The possibility of applying it in digital applications and educational software
The publication of this project opens the way for universities and scientific institutions to study this system and to offer scholarly observations or proposals for its development — contributing to the building of a unified Arabic reference for teaching the deaf, and strengthening the presence of Classical Arabic in the field of signing.
The complete scientific material may be consulted on the blog of Ustadh Abdel Karim Ataya at the following link: atayafordeaf.com
This project stands as an open invitation to researchers and interested parties to take part in developing this linguistic system, thereby enriching scientific research in the field of sign languages and serving a broad body of learners throughout the Arab world.
مدونات عبد الكريم عطايا 