why did thomas gallaudet invent sign language
The modern recorded history of sign language began in the 17th century in Spain, in part with Bonet. In 1620, Juan Pablo Bonet published ReducciÃ³n de las letras y arte para enseÃ±ar a hablar a los mudos (Summary of the letters and the art of teaching speech to the mute) in Madrid. Considered the first modern treatise of the phonetics of sign language and the use of sign language to teach speech to the deaf, this book depicted Bonet's form of a manual alphabet. His intent was to further the oral and manual education of deaf people in Spain.