Finland-Swedish Sign Language (FinSSL; Swedish: Finlandssvenskt teckenspråk, Finnish: Suomenruotsalainen viittomakieli) is a moribund sign language in Finland. It is now used mainly in private settings by older adults who attended the only Swedish school for the deaf in Finland (in Porvoo, Swedish: Borgå), which was established in the mid-19th century by Carl Oscar Malm but closed in 1993.[3] However, it has recently been taught to some younger individuals.[4] Some 90 persons had it as their native language within Finland in 2014[5] and it is spoken by around 300 people in total.[6]
| Finland-Swedish Sign Language | |
|---|---|
| finlandssvenskt teckenspråk (Swedish) | |
| suomenruotsalainen viittomakieli (Finnish) | |
| Native to | Finland |
| Ethnicity | Finland-Swedes |
Native speakers | 150 deaf and 300 total (2014)[1] Same figure of 150 cited in 2001[2] |
? British Sign
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | fss |
| Glottolog | finl1235 |
| ELP | Finnish-Swedish Sign Language |
 | |
History
editThe first deaf school in Finland was founded in 1846 by Carl Oscar Malm, who was deaf himself. Since the closure of the deaf school in Borgå in 1993, the future of the language has been uncertain. Many families with deaf children have emigrated to Sweden because of the decision. The language is considered severely endangered according to UNESCO's criteria.[7][8]
Since 2015, Finland-Swedish and Finnish sign languages have been recognized as separate languages in Finnish legislation, as the new sign language act was adopted in the parliament. However, the scientific consensus has been since 2005 that the two sign languages are distinct.[9]
Differences from Finnish Sign
editThrough contacts between Swedish deaf individuals and Finland-Swedish deaf individuals, the Finland-Swedish sign language has borrowed many words from Swedish sign language. Additionally, the visual phonology with facial expressions follows the sounds of the Swedish language. [10][11]
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References
edit- ^ Finland-Swedish Sign Language at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ Finland-Swedish Sign Language at Ethnologue (17th ed., 2013)
- ^ Jossfolk, Karl-Gustav (2017). "Carl Oskar Malm, en döv visionär" (PDF). SFV-kalendern 2017 (in Swedish). 131. Svenska folkskolans vänner. eISSN 2243-0261. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-07-23.
- ^ "Suomessa on uhanalainen kieli, jota käyttää enää 100 – koulussa Pohjanmaalla neljä suomenruotsalaisen viittomakielen taitajaa opettaa etänä lapsia ympäri maan". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 2021-06-17. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ^ Westerlund, Elin (3 August 2018). "Det finlandssvenska teckenspråket är utrotningshotad". Hufvudstadsbladet (in Swedish). pp. 8–11. Archived from the original on 4 August 2018. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
- ^ "De finlandssvenska teckenspråkiga – en osynlig minoritet". svenska.yle.fi (in Swedish). Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ^ "Det finlandssvenska teckenspråket hotat". svenska.yle.fi (in Swedish). Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ^ "Teckenspråk - Institutet för de inhemska språken". Kotimaisten kielten keskus (in Swedish). Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ^ "Finlandssvenskt teckenspråk och språkets revitalisering". Finlands Dövas Förbund (in Swedish). Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ^ "Suomen viittomakielet". Kotimaisten kielten keskus (in Finnish). Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ^ "Suomen kaksi viittomakieltä". Kielikello (in Finnish). 2011-10-03. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
Further reading
edit- Hoyer, Karin (2012). Dokumentation och beskrivning som språkplanering: Perspektiv från arbete med tre tecknade minoritetsspråk [Language Documentation and Description as Language Planning: Working with Three Signed Minority Languages] (PhD thesis). Nordica Helsingiensia, 29 (in Swedish). Helsingfors: Helsingfors universitet. ISBN 978-952-10-7611-4. ISSN 1795-4428.
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