First Dictionaries of Czech Sign Language

Abstract This study examines the structure and historical significance of three dictionaries capturing Czech Sign Language signs. These works, created prior to the emergence of sign language linguistics and lexicography in Czech territory, offer insight into the early documentation of sign languages. Mücke (1834) uses written descriptions to record signs used at the Prague Institute for the Deaf and Dumb. Jarisch (1851), compiled during the heyday of sign use in education, includes illustrations and represents the earliest known pictorial dictionary of sign language in the region. Gabrielová et al. (1988), the first modern dictionary, uses photographs but reflects the limited linguistic recognition of sign language after a period of suppression. It builds on earlier, largely unsuccessful dictionary-making attempts from the 1950s, linked to efforts at standardisation and international unification. Although created in different historical contexts, all three dictionaries provide data for diachronic linguistic research and insight into the development of early sign language lexicography.