who published linguistic findings that showed american sign language is a true and natural language?

The linguistic findings that showed American Sign Language (ASL) is a true and natural language were published by William Stokoe. He is credited with proving that ASL is not just meaningless gestures or pantomime but a real language with its own distinct grammar and structure. Stokoe and his team conducted research in the late 1950s and early 1960s, filming people using sign language and analyzing it linguistically. Their findings were published in a research monograph titled "Sign Language Structure" in 1960, followed by the book "A Dictionary of American Sign Language on Linguistic Principles" in 1965. Stokoe's work was pioneering in gaining recognition for ASL as a natural language and also in promoting Deaf culture.