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ろう者の願い
手話を法定言語に認めて

高田英一

　「障害者権利条約」が国連特別委員会で審議されている。この八月から九月にかけての論議には、日本から政府のほかに障害者も代表団を派遣している。

　この条約について、重度聴覚障害者といえるろう者は、国際的な共通の願いとして、手話を言語と定義することに関心を集中している。

　なるほど手話への理解は広まり、かつてのように手話を物珍しげにみることはなくなり、テレビドラマにも自然に受け入れられている。しかし、手話は音声語の代替手段としてみられても、音声語と同等の言語として理解、認識されず依然として差別された言語である。

　例えば教育の場で手話が保障されていない。公務員採用試験、裁判などに手話通訳者の配置が義務化されていない。これはろう者に対する権利侵害につながっている。

　手話が身ぶりとは区別され、言語なのは理論的に明解である。人の生活に必要な語彙（ごい）を備え、音声語との相互通訳が完璧（かんぺき）に可能なことからも明らかであろう。最新資料は、世界の言語は音声語が六千七百、手話は百五十七あるとしている。しかし、ポルトガル、南アフリカなどすでに言語と法定した国、フランスなど法定化を準備中の国はあるものの、手話を言語、すなわちその国の国語と法定した国は少ない。

　そこには言語といえば音声語しか実感できない健聴者の無関心と認識不足がある。その遠因はろう教育の昔にさかのぼる。世界的にもろう教育の歴史は口話教育（手話を否定し、口で話し、口形で音声語を読み取らせる教育）と手話教育（音声語を否定しないが手話も必要とする教育）の対立の歴史である。

　日本では昭和初期に当時の国策もあってろう教育は口話教育に決定的に舵（かじ）を切り替え、多くのろう教員が職を失った。戦後も口話教育に執着する一部教育者とそれに寄りかかる変化を好まない行政の消極的姿勢が、手話を言語と認識する妨げとなってきた。

　誤解をさけるためにいえば、手話は音声語の対立物ではなく、ろう者は音声語の必要を否定しているのではない。音声語は話し言葉と二次言語である文字を含む書き言葉に分かれる。書き言葉は習得が必要、かつ可能な課題なのはろう者も理解している。事実、口で話し口形での読み取りはかなわなくとも、手話と書き言葉によって弁護士、大学教授、研究者、公務員等の地位にあって活躍しているろう者は世界に数多い。

　しかし問題は話し言葉である。これはろう者には習得できない課題なのである。そもそも人は話すためには聴かなければならない。ろう者は聴けないから正確な発音はできない。健聴者といえども英語を聴かなければ正確に発音できないのと同じである。また口形で言葉を読み取れないのは、健聴者といえども耳に栓をして相手の口形だけで読み取れないのと同じである。ろう者には口で話し、口形で読み取る口話のできる人などいない。口話教育はそうした無理難題をろう者に押しつけてきたと言える。

　一九八一年の国際障害者年このかた、世界の理念は「社会適応」から「完全参加と平等」に替わり、障害者を社会適応させるため無理、無駄な努力を強制する時代から、手話通訳の保障などが正当とされる時代となった。手話に正当な評価を与え、言語と定義することが一層の参加と平等を進めることになるだろう。

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　 ◇たかだ・えいいち　社会福祉法人全国手話研修センター常務理事　八歳で失聴。著書に「手話の森を歩く」など。６７歳。

The Common Desire of the World Deaf Community…
The Official Recognition of Sign Language in Legislation
By Eiichi Takada
August 25, 2004

The United Nations Ad Hoc Committee on a "Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities" is now in the process of discussing the contents of the convention. The Fourth Session of the Ad Hoc Committee, held from August 23 to September 3, was attended, not only by the Japanese government delegation, but also by a delegation of Japanese disability-related NGOs.

As the common desire of all the Deaf persons or persons with profound hearing disabilities throughout the world, the Deaf community is now focusing on the need to define sign languages as full-fledged languages.

It is true that sign language is becoming better understood by society at large, and people no longer look at us with curiosity when we are signing in public. Sign language often appears even in TV dramas. Most people, however, mistakenly believe that sign language is an alternative form of expressing spoken languages. Sign languages are still discriminated in that they are not recognized to be languages, equal to spoken languages.

For example, the use of sign language is not guaranteed in education. Sign language interpretation is not guaranteed in employment examinations for government or civil-service employees. It is not even guaranteed in court trials. This situation results in a deprivation of the rights of the Deaf.

There is theoretical proof that sign languages are languages, and that they are to be distinguished from mime or gestures. Sign languages have a rich vocabulary to enable people to express whatever must be expressed in life. Moreover, the ability to interpret fully between spoken languages and sign languages is proof that sign languages are indeed languages.

According to the latest data, there are about 6,700 spoken languages and about 157 sign languages in the world. Although some countries like Portugal and South Africa legally recognize the country's sign language, and countries like France are in the process of adopting legislation to recognize sign language, the number of countries that legally recognize sign language to be one of the official languages of its country is still very small.

This is due to the fact that the linguistic experience of the hearing society is limited to spoken languages, and to the lack of awareness and indifference of the hearing society toward the existence of any other form of language. Another remote cause may be found in the history of Deaf education. Throughout the world, the history of Deaf education is a history of conflict between oral education (which denies the use of sign language and tries to educate Deaf children to speak and to lip-read what is spoken) and sign language education (which is not opposed to the use of spoken languages but recognizes the need to use sign language as well.)

In Japan, the government's education policy took a decisive turn in the direction of oral education in the early days of the Showa Era (1920's), and many Deaf teachers lost their jobs. Even after World War II, the influence of pedagogues who adamantly adhered to oralism, and the conservative attitude of the administrative sector and their reluctance to change established ways, prevented sign language from winning recognition as a language.

To avoid misunderstanding, I wish to point out that sign language is not opposed to spoken languages. Deaf people do not deny the need for spoken languages. Spoken languages consist of the spoken form and a secondary written form. Deaf people understand the need to acquire written language and know that it is possible for them to acquire writing skills. In fact, even though the Deaf cannot lip-read what is being spoken, the written medium has enabled many Deaf people throughout the world to take up such professions as layers university professors, researchers, government officials, etc.

The problem for the Deaf lies in spoken communication. This is something that cannot be acquired by the Deaf. In order for people to speak, they must first be able to hear. Because the Deaf cannot hear, they cannot speak correctly. If a hearing person never once heard the English language being spoken, would he be able to speak it correctly?

Lip-reading is just as impossible. Hearing people can put their hands to their ears and see how impossible it is to lip-read what is being spoken. If it is impossible for the hearing, it is also impossible for the Deaf. There is no Deaf person who has mastered oralism - who can speak and lipread with ease. Oral education has been pushing this impossible task on Deaf children and students.

From the UN International Year of Disabled Persons in 1981, the world changed its concept from "social adaptation" to "full participation and equality". The many years of fruitless and meaningless efforts to force persons with disabilities to adapt to society finally began to change to a new age of "full participation and equality". For the Deaf, the new age guaranteed sign language interpretation. By giving sign language its due recognition, and by defining it to be a full-fledged language, "full participation and equality" for the Deaf will be further enhanced.

Eiichi Takada
Honorary Board Member of the World Federation of the Deaf
Board Member of the Japanese Federation of the Deaf
Managing Director of the National Center of Sign Language Education

更新日　2004年10月5日
財団法人　全日本聾唖連盟

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