French Sign Language family

The French Sign Language family, also called the Francosign family, is a language family of sign languages that includes French Sign Language and American Sign Language. It descends from Old French Sign Language, which developed among the deaf community in Paris and is first mentioned by the abbe Charles-Michel de l'Epee in the late 18th century, though it may have existed for centuries before. Several European sign languages, including Russian Sign Language, derive from it, as does American Sign Language, established when French educator Laurent Clerc taught his language at the American School for the Deaf; before 1850 the family's geographic distribution was limited to Western Europe and North America, and today it extends to parts of Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia.