(also ‘deaf and dumb person’ or ‘deaf and dumb’; plural: ‘deaf-mutes‘; pronunciation: the letters ‘mu’ rhyme with the letters ‘mu’ in “music”)
deaf = cannot hear; mute = cannot speak
a person who cannot hear and/or cannot speak,
a deaf-mute in a class
e.g.
Experts advise healthcare workers to be extremely careful while dealing with deaf-mutes because they are very sensitive.
With the advancement in technology, doctors are making great progress in making deaf-mutes talk or hear or both either by surgery or by using electronic devices.
Though deaf-mutes cannot hear and/or talk, their other senses work more sharply than that of normal people.
For a must-read article in this context, about the life of a great lady, Helen Keller, Please click here.
Marie Caire, a deaf-mute, USA, a brave young lady fighting against all odds
For an informative article on ‘deaf-mute’ patients, please click here, for an ad/article on children for gay couple, please click here, for an article on how some greedy people take advantage of others’ sympathy for deaf-mute and other disabilities, please click here, and for an article that deals with the legal difficulties of trying a deaf-mute suspect, please click here.
Note: This expression, deaf-mute, is also used to refer to normal people, especially officers and politicians, who do not hear or talk about the problems of common man, e.g. ‘Once they are elected, most of politicians become deaf-mutes and never care to look into the problems of their constituents.’ & ‘The new supervisor is a deaf-mute when it comes to the difficulties the workers face while working on night shifts.’
BC Kumar, an English Language Teacher, taught in numerous countries including Ethiopia, Oman and India, shares his knowledge and passion for the English Language.
Disclaimer: This is a free educational website and all content has been compiled by the author. All copyrights to images and videos belong to their respective owners.