oralism

1 8.6

Teaching deaf people to speak and read lips instead of using sign language

noun
/ˈɔrəlɪzəm/

Specialized

: oralismo

As one participant stated, "At some point, her mother ended up giving up that oralism and lip reading and allowing me to get into a signing program when I was between 8 and 10."

Examples

Oralism emphasizes the use of speech and lip-reading for teaching deaf students instead of using sign language.
It's really easy to complain about oralism, how cochlear implants are taking over the world, and point fingers.

Blog text (32)
The omissions can only be explained as a reflection of a sophisticated society's lingering preference for oral memories and oral procedures, which elsewhere I have termed the "residual oralism" characteristic of the Archaic period.

Academic text (1991)
Many educators advocate for oralism as a way to help deaf children communicate more effectively in hearing society.
The debate between oralism and sign language continues to influence how deaf education is approached in various schools.

Antonyms

sign language

36 2.8

A language using hand signs and face movements to communicate, often used by people who are deaf

How Speech-Based

oralism

Specialized

1 8.6

signing

5 3.7

Surface Forms

oralism singular

oralisms plural

Morphology

oralism = oral (semi-transparent) = oral + ism

Built from 'oral' + '-ism' which is clear, but the specific specialized pedagogical movement meaning is not fully predictable to an average learner.

Etymology

The word oralism comes from oral meaning 'mouth' and the ending -ism meaning 'a belief or practice'. So oralism is the practice of teaching by mouth, using speech and lip-reading, rather than sign language.