I know "deaf and dumb" is a controversial/offensive phrase, but just in case there is a misunderstanding because of English/ASL cultural difference, I want to mention to deafies who might be offended:
The word "dumb" in English has several meanings. A long time ago, it only meant "non-vocal". It did not mean "stupid" a long time ago. "Stupid" is a modern meaning for the word "dumb." In the 1820s, "dumb" began to mean "stupid", because the German word "dumm" was borrowed into English -- that changed the meaning of the English word "dumb", which only meant "non-vocal" before that.
So when English speakers / writers use the phrase "deaf and dumb", they're using an old fashioned way of saying "non-vocal deaf person." Most of the time they don't even realize they're saying something offensive, because the phrase is very old and the two words are linked together in that old fashioned phrase.
I think ASL has similar things. For example, I think the ASL sign for PRECIOUS is a combination sign of CHERISH and IMPORTANT, right? So the English phrase "deaf and dumb" is something like PRECIOUS, except imagine if IMPORTANT was some other sign -- maybe some old sign that is offensive in modern ASL.
I think there are other examples in ASL, where the old sign is kept in a combination sign, even though signers don't use the old sign by itself. Can anyone confirm this?
That's why English speakers and writers put those words together.... Most English speakers and writers know that deaf people are not "stupid", but many English speakers do not know that there are vocal deaf people. Many English speakers think (wrongly of course) that if someone can speak, they apparently have some hearing.
Probably most deafies know all this information, but I wanted to mention -- in case someone is young and does not already know. Sometimes our cultural differences create misunderstandings, and I like to smooth those out when I get an opportunity.
