oralism

noun

oral·​ism ˈȯr-ə-ˌli-zəm 

ˈär-

: advocacy or use of the oral method of teaching the deaf

oralist

ˈȯr-ə-list 

ˈär-

noun

Examples of oralism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Alexander Graham Bell has long been a polarizing figure, admired as the brilliant inventor of the telephone and other extraordinary devices, but also despised as the leading exponent of oralism, the movement that pressured deaf people to learn speech and, more important, not to learn sign language. —New York Times, 6 Apr. 2021

By the time Ami Tsuji-Jones enrolled at the deaf school in the 1960s, oralism was seen by critics as a failure. —Corinne Chin, CNN, 8 Oct. 2021

The oralism Bell championed was a disaster for the deaf. —New York Times, 6 Apr. 2021

But as oralism came to dominate deaf education, largely through Bell’s reputation, deaf communities responded by further embracing sign. —BostonGlobe.com, 8 Apr. 2021

Bonet’s approach combined oralism—using sounds to communicate—with sign language. —National Geographic, 28 May 2019

And though oralism triumphed nationally, sign language won out as the preferred method of communication at Gallaudet. —Matthew Davis, The Atlantic, 10 May 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

oralism

noun

oral·​ism ˈōr-ə-ˌliz-əm, ˈȯr-, ˈär- 

: advocacy or use of the oral method of teaching the deaf