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Varieties of American Sign Language

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American Sign Language (ASL) developed in the United States, starting as a blend of local sign languages and French Sign Language (FSL).[1] Local varieties have developed in many countries, but there is little research on which should be considered dialects of ASL (such as Bolivian Sign Language) and which have diverged to the point of being distinct languages (such as Malaysian Sign Language).

Varieties and descendants of ASL are used throughout the Caribbean, West and Central Africa, and Southeast Asia

The following are sign language varieties of ASL in countries other than the US and Canada, languages based on ASL with substratum influence from local sign languages, and mixed languages in which ASL is a component. Distinction follow political boundaries, which may not correspond to linguistic boundaries.

Bolivian Sign Language

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Bolivian Sign Language
Lengua de Señas Bolivianas LSB
Native toBolivia
Native speakers
22,600 (2008)[2]
French Sign
Language codes
ISO 639-3bvl
Glottologboli1236
ELPBolivian Sign Language

Bolivian Sign Language (Lengua de Señas Bolivianas, LSB) is a dialect of American Sign Language (ASL) used predominantly by the Deaf in Bolivia.

History

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In 1973, American Sign Language was brought to Bolivia by Eleanor and Lloyd Powlison, missionaries from the United States.[3] An indigenous sign language (or perhaps sign languages) existed before the introduction and adoption of American Sign Language, though it is unknown how widespread or unified it was.[4]

The first book of LSB was published in 1992, but more than 90% of the signs were from ASL.[5] Due to research work in the 1990s and 2000s a lot of expressions in LSB were collected by Bolivian Deaf, and education materials for learning LSB or teaching in LSB were published. The dependence on words used in ASL was reduced, but the usage of ASL words still is over 70%.

Today LSB is used by more deaf Bolivians than the reported 400 in 1988 in the Ethnologue report,[2] due to the introduction of bilingual education (LSB as primary language and Spanish as secondary language) originally in Riberalta and its adoption to other schools in Bolivia with the support of the Education Ministry of Bolivia and the growing social exchange of the Deaf.

In 1988, there were a total of 9 deaf institutions in the country and 46,800 deaf Bolivians.[2] In 2002 there were approximately 25 deaf schools.[5]

Burundian Sign Language

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Burundian Sign Language
Langue des Signes Burundaise
Native toBurundi
Native speakers
5,000 (2020) to estimated 35,000–70,000 (2021)[6]
American Sign
  • Burundian Sign Language
Language codes
ISO 639-3lsb
Glottologburu1325  Burundi Sign Language

Burundian Sign Language (LSB) is the national sign language of Burundi's Deaf community. It dates from Andrew Foster's introduction of ASL into Burundi, but has diverged since. Mouthing and initialization are mostly based on French. ASL signers from the US are reported to have a hard time understanding videos in LSB, and LSB signers have a hard time understanding ASL videos, and Burundian Deaf consider their language to be distinct from ASL and from neighboring sign languages, such as Ugandan and Rwandan Sign.[7]

Costa Rican Sign Language

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Costa Rican Sign Language
New Costa Rican Sign Language
Native toCosta Rica
Native speakers
estimated 10,000–20,000 (2021)[8]
Language codes
ISO 639-3csr
Glottologcost1249

Costa Rican Sign Language, also known New Costa Rican Sign Language or Modern Costa Rican Sign Language, is the national sign language of Costa Rica's Deaf community. It is used primarily by people born after 1960, and is about 60% cognate with American Sign Language (Woodward 1991, 1992). It is unrelated to two known village sign languages of Costa Rica, Bribri Sign Language and Brunca Sign Language.[9][10]

Dominican Sign Language

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Dominican Sign Language
Native toDominican Republic
Native speakers
estimated 21,000–43,000 (2021)[11]
French Sign
Language codes
ISO 639-3doq
Glottologdomi1236

Dominican Sign Language (DGS) is a local variant of American Sign Language (ASL) used in the Dominican Republic. Many deaf Dominicans use home sign, and are not fluent in Dominican Sign Language.

Dominican Sign Language originated from French Sign Language (LSF), which was introduced to Dominica by French missionaries and combined with local gesture traditions. Therefore, it has many similarities with French Sign Language.

There may also be some differences in grammatical structure between Dominican Sign Language and American Sign Language. For example, there may be differences in sentence structure, verb morphology, and word order.

Francophone African Sign Language

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Francophone African Sign Language
Native toIvory Coast, Benin, Cameroon, Gabon, and other areas of Francophone West and Central Africa
Native speakers
12,500 in Benin (2008), 100,000 / est. 60,000–120,000 in Burkina Faso (2021), est. 14,000–28,000 in CAR (2021), est. 16,000–32,000 in Congo (2021), 2,000 (2008) to 7,000 (2021) in Gabon, est. 38,000–76,000 in Guinea (2021),[12] est. 77,000–155,000 in Ivory Coast (2021), est. 20,000–35,000 in Mali (2021), est. 24,000–48,000 in Togo (2021), no data elsewhere[13]
French Sign
Language codes
ISO 639-3None (mis)
Individual code:
gus – Guinean Sign Language
Glottologguin1250  Guinean Sign Language
lang1335  Langue des Signes Zairoise

Francophone African Sign Language (Langue des signes d'Afrique francophone, or LSAF) is the variety, or varieties, of American Sign Language (ASL) used in several francophone countries of Africa. Education for the deaf in these countries is based on ASL and written French; there is therefore a French influence on the language of the classroom.[14]

With the exception of Algerian Sign Language, the sign languages of francophone Africa are unrelated to French Sign Language, except indirectly through their derivation from ASL. This is because most schools for the deaf in the region were founded by the American missionary Andrew Foster or by his students, starting in 1974. Chadian Sign Language may be closest to Nigerian Sign Language. A few countries have languages unrelated to either: Madagascar Sign Language derives from Norwegian SL, and Tunisian Sign Language is apparently a language isolate.[citation needed]

The relationship of LSAF to standard American Sign Language has not been systematically assessed.[13] For instance, Gabonese Sign Language has diverged and may be a separate language,[13] and Togo Sign Language is not mutually intelligible with standard American Sign Language.[13]

Characteristics

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As in other African derivations of ASL, the language has been affected by local gestures and conventions. This is especially true of taboo topics such as sex (Dalle 1996).

As an example of the French influence on francophone ASL, the word for 'she' is made by pointing with an L-shaped hand, rather than with a simple index finger, because the name of the letter el is homonymous with elle ('she') in French. It is not clear to what extent such influence continues outside the classroom.

Location

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Francophone African countries which use ASL as the language of Deaf instruction are:

  • Senegal
  • Mauritania
  • Mali
  • Guinea
  • Ivory Coast
  • Burkina Faso
  • Togo
  • Benin
  • Niger
  • Chad (from Nigeria)
  • Central African Republic
  • Gabon
  • Republic of Congo (Brazzaville; from Nigeria)
  • Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa; French Sign Language is also used)
  • Burundi
  • Morocco

Haitian Sign Language

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Haitian Sign Language
Langue des Signes Haïtienne
Native toHaiti
Native speakers
40,000 (2008)[13]
French Sign
Language codes
ISO 639-3–
Glottologhait1245

While American Sign Language is sometimes used in the Haitian Deaf community, it is not the most prominent in Haiti. The local variant, Haitian Sign Language, or LSH (Langue des Signes Haïtienne), is the sign language variant most often used. There are five government-run schools for Deaf children, and LSH is used and spread through these schools and other social areas for the Deaf community. Historically, LSH has not been widely documented or recognized, leading to the creation of the LSHDoP, the Haitian Sign Language Documentation Project. This project is run by the Haitian Deaf Community, in collaboration with Gallaudet University.[15]

Ghanaian Sign Language

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Ghanaian Sign Language
Native toGhana
Native speakers
estimated 91,000–182,000 (2021)[16]
French Sign
Language codes
ISO 639-3gse
Glottologghan1235
 
Ghanaian Sign Language in action

Ghanaian Sign Language is the national sign language of deaf people in Ghana, descended from American Sign Language.[16][17] It was introduced in 1957 by Andrew Foster, a deaf African-American missionary, as there had been no education or organizations for the deaf previously. Foster went on to establish the first school for the deaf in Nigeria a few years later, and Nigerian Sign Language shows influence from GSL. GSL is unrelated to indigenous Ghanaian sign languages such as Adamorobe Sign Language and Nanabin Sign Language.

There are currently fourteen schools for the deaf in Ghana, thirteen primary schools and two secondary schools in Ghana, one at Akuapim-Mampong, the other at Navrongo.[18] GSL is supported by the Ghana National Association of the Deaf which has their headquarters in Accra. The Bible Society of Ghana has started translation of the Bible into Ghanaian sign language.

Greek Sign Language

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This section is an excerpt from Greek Sign Language.[edit]
Greek Sign Language (Greek: Ελληνική νοηματική γλώσσα, romanized: Ellinikí noimatikí glóssa, ENG) is a sign language used by the Greek deaf community.

Indonesian sign languages

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This section is an excerpt from Indonesian Sign Language.[edit]
Indonesian Sign Language (Indonesian: Bahasa Isyarat Indonesia, BISINDO) is any of several related deaf sign languages of Indonesia, at least on the island of Java. It is based on American Sign Language, with local admixture in different cities. Although presented as a coherent language when advocating for recognition by the Indonesian government and use in education, the varieties used in different cities may not be mutually intelligible.

Jamaican Sign Language

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Jamaican Sign Language
JSL
Native toJamaica
Native speakers
7,500 (2011)[19]
French Sign
Language codes
ISO 639-3jls
Glottologjama1263

Jamaican Sign Language (JSL) is a local variant of American Sign Language used in Jamaica. It is supplanting the indigenous Jamaican Country Sign Language.

Malaysian Sign Language

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This section is an excerpt from Malaysian Sign Language.[edit]
Malaysian Sign Language (Malay: Bahasa Isyarat Malaysia, or BIM) is the principal language of the deaf community of Malaysia. It is also the official sign language used by the Malaysian government to communicate with the deaf community and was officially recognised by the Malaysian government in 2008 as a means to officially communicate with and among the deaf, particularly on official broadcasts and announcements. BIM has many dialects, differing from state to state.[20]

Moroccan Sign Language

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Moroccan Sign Language
MSL
Native toMorocco
RegionTetouan
Native speakers
63,000 (2008)[21]
French Sign
Language codes
ISO 639-3xms
Glottologmoro1242

Moroccan Sign Language (MSL) is the language of the deaf community of Tetouan and some other cities of Morocco.

American Peace Corps volunteers created Moroccan Sign Language in 1987 in Tetouan from American Sign Language (ASL) and the existing signs; there is less than a 50% lexical similarity with ASL. It is not clear if the 'existing signs' were home sign or an established village sign language. The language is used in three programs for the deaf, but not throughout the country: It is not used in the large cities of Rabat, Tangier, or Casablanca, for example. In Oujda, near the Algerian border, Algerian Sign Language is used, or at least the local sign language has been strongly influenced by it.[21]

Nigerian Sign Language

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Nigerian Sign Language
Native toNigeria, Chad, Republic of Congo
Native speakers
2,800 (2008) to estimated 48,000–96,000 (2021) in Chad;[22] estimated 600,000–1,000,000 in Nigeria (2021)[23]
French Sign
Language codes
ISO 639-3Either:
nsi – Nigerian Sign
cds – Chadian Sign
Glottolognige1259

Nigerian Sign Language (NSL) is the national sign language of deaf people in Nigeria, however, Nigeria does not have a national sign language yet. ASL (with a possible mix of Signed English) was introduced in 1960, a few years after Ghanaian Sign Language, by Andrew Foster, a deaf African-American missionary, thereby raising a signing system some scholars have referred to as a dialect of ASL. Deaf education in Nigeria was based on oral method and existing indigenous sign languages were generally regarded as gestural communication prior to Andrew Foster's arrival. The conventional "Nigerian Sign Language" today has been described as the "School Sign Language" and is coded as nsi on the repository of languages of the world by SIL International. There is a Ghanaian influence in NSL; both are based on American Sign Language. The School Sign Language has little relationship with the various Indigenous Nigerian sign languages such as Hausa Sign Language, Yoruba Sign Language, and Bura Sign Language. The Save the Deaf and Endangered Languages Initiative[24] and Nigerian National Association of the Deaf[25] have been working to document indigenous and national varieties of NSL both for research and reference for the Nigerian deaf population.[24][25]

Chadian and Congolese teachers for the deaf are trained in Nigeria. There are deaf schools in Chad in N’Djamena, Sarh, and Moundou.[citation needed]

Panamanian Sign Language

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Panamanian Sign Language
Lengua de señas panameñas
Native toPanama
Native speakers
9,000 (2008)[26]
French Sign
Language codes
ISO 639-3lsp
Glottologpana1308
ELPPanamanian Sign Language

Panamanian Sign Language (Lengua de señas panameñas, LSP) is one of two deaf sign languages of Panama. It derived from American Sign Language and influenced by Salvadoran Sign Language.[26][27]

See also Chiriqui Sign Language.

Philippine Sign Language

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This section is an excerpt from Filipino Sign Language.[edit]
Filipino Sign Language (FSL) or Philippine Sign Language (Filipino: Wikang pasenyas ng mga Pilipino),[28] is a sign language originating in the Philippines. Like other sign languages, FSL is a unique language with its own grammar, syntax and morphology; it is not based on and does not resemble Filipino or English.[29] Some researchers consider the indigenous signs of FSL to be at risk of being lost due to the increasing influence of American Sign Language.[29]

Puerto Rican Sign Language

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Puerto Rican Sign Language
Lengua de señas puertorriqueña
Native toPuerto Rico
Ethnicity8,000 to 40,000 deaf (1986)[30]
Native speakers
est. 6,000–13,000 (2021)[30]
French Sign
Language codes
ISO 639-3psl
Glottologpuer1237
ELPPuerto Rican Sign Language

Puerto Rican Sign Language (PRSL) is a variety or descendant of American Sign Language, which was introduced to Puerto Rico in 1907. It is not clear how far PRSL may have diverged from ASL, but Ethnologue speaks of bilingualism in ASL as well as speakers who know only PRSL.[30]

Sierra Leonean Sign Language

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Sierra Leonean Sign Language
Native toSierra Leone
RegionFreetown
Ethnicity3,000–5,000 (2008)[31]
Native speakers
200 (2008) to est. 23,000–46,000 (2021)[31]
French Sign
Language codes
ISO 639-3sgx
Glottologsier1246

Sierra Leonean Sign Language is a variety or descendant of American Sign Language (ASL) used in schools for the deaf in Sierra Leone, or at least in the capital Freetown. As in much of West Africa, the first schools for the deaf were founded by the American missionary Andrew Foster or his students.

Selangor Sign Language

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Selangor Sign Language
Bahasa Isyarat Selangor
Native toMalaysia
RegionKuala Lumpur and Selangor
Native speakers
500 (no date)[32]
Mostly elderly, all bilingual in Malaysian Sign
French Sign
Language codes
ISO 639-3kgi
Glottologsela1253
ELPSelangor Sign Language

Selangor Sign Language (SSL), also known as Kuala Lumpur Sign Language (KLSL), is a sign language used in Malaysia. It was originally based on American Sign Language (ASL) but has diverged significantly enough to now be considered a language in its own right. Kuala Lumpur was formerly located in the state of Selangor before it became a federal territory in 1974.

Like Penang Sign Language (PSL), it now mainly used by older people, although many younger people can understand it.

Singapore Sign Language

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This section is an excerpt from Singapore Sign Language.[edit]
Singapore Sign Language, or SgSL, is the native sign language used by the deaf and hard of hearing in Singapore, developed over six decades since the setting up of the first school for the Deaf in 1954.[33] Since Singapore's independence in 1965, the Singapore deaf community has had to adapt to many linguistic changes. Today, the local deaf community recognises Singapore Sign Language (SgSL) as a reflection of Singapore's diverse culture. SgSL is influenced by Shanghainese Sign Language (SSL), American Sign Language (ASL), Signing Exact English (SEE-II) and locally developed signs.

Thai Sign Language

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This section is an excerpt from Thai Sign Language.[edit]
Thai Sign Language (TSL; Thai: ภาษามือไทย), or Modern Standard Thai Sign Language (MSTSL), is the national sign language of Thailand's deaf community and is used in most parts of the country by the 20 percent of the estimated 56,000 pre-linguistically deaf people who go to school.[34]

See also

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Bibliography

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  • Kamei, Nobutaka ed. 2008. Langue des Signes d'Afrique Francophone (LSAF) (DVD). Fuchu: Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.
  • Tamomo, Serge. 1994. Le language des signes du sourd Africain Francophone. Cotonou, Bénin: PEFISS.
  • Garay, S. (2004). Understanding the Panama Deaf Community & Sign Language: Lengua de Señas Panameñas. (Instructional CD) Asociación Nacional de Sordos de Panamá.
  • —— (1990). Panama's sign language dictionary: Lengua de señas panameñas. Asociación Nacional de Sordos de Panamá.

References

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  1. ^ "What Is American Sign Language (ASL)? | NIDCD". www.nidcd.nih.gov. 2021-10-29. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  2. ^ a b c Bolivian Sign Language at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)  
  3. ^ "School for the Deaf Faces Hostile Takeover". World Watch Monitor. Aug 18, 2000. Archived from the original on June 29, 2015. Retrieved Jun 29, 2015.
  4. ^ Holbrook, David (2009). "Bolivia Deaf Community and Sign Language Pre-Survey Report" (PDF). SIL International.
  5. ^ a b Collaud, Carole. "Projektinformationen: Bericht von Carole Collaud, 1. Teil" (in German). Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  6. ^ Burundian Sign Language at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)  
  7. ^ "Request for Change to ISO 639-3 Language Code" (PDF). iso639-3.sil.org. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  8. ^ Costa Rican Sign Language at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)  
  9. ^ James Woodward, 1991, "Sign Language Varieties in Costa Rica", in Sign Language Studies 73, p. 329-346
  10. ^ Gaurav Mathur & Donna Jo Napoli, 2010, Deaf around the World: The Impact of Language, Oxford University Press, page 43
  11. ^ Dominican Sign Language at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)  
  12. ^ Varieties of American Sign Language at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)  
  13. ^ a b c d e ASL at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)  
  14. ^ "Francophone African Sign Language - AASL". Aasl.aacore.jp. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
  15. ^ Hochgesang, Julie A.; Mcauliff, Kate (2016). "An Initial Description of the Deaf Community in Haiti and Haitian Sign Language (LSH)". Sign Language Studies. 16 (2): 227–294. doi:10.1353/sls.2016.0003. ISSN 1533-6263.
  16. ^ a b Ghanaian Sign Language at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)  
  17. ^ Edward, Mary. 2014. The Phonology and Morphology of Ghanaian Sign Language. Atelier International sign language workshop at the Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire on 24th July. 2014
  18. ^ Knoors, Harry; Brons, Maria; Marschark, Marc (2019). Deaf education beyond the Western world: context, challenges, and prospects. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190880514.
  19. ^ Jamaican Sign Language at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)  
  20. ^ Hasuria Che Omar (2009). Penterjemahan dan Bahasa Isyarat [Translation and Sign Language] (in Malay). ITBM. p. 43. ISBN 978-983-068-469-7.
  21. ^ a b Moroccan Sign Language at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)  
  22. ^ Chadian Sign Language at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)  
  23. ^ Nigerian Sign Language at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)  
  24. ^ a b "Save the Deaf and Endangered Languages Initiative". S-DELI. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  25. ^ a b "Official Website of the Nigeria National Association of the Deaf". NNAD. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  26. ^ a b Panamanian Sign Language at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)  
  27. ^ Joma, Susana (2006-01-19). "Escuela para niños sordos". El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2016-03-06.
  28. ^ Hammarström, Harald; Forke, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin; Bank, Sebastian, eds. (2020). "Philippine Sign Language". Glottolog 4.3.
  29. ^ a b Martinez, PhD, Liza (December 1, 2012). "Primer on Filipino Sign Language". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  30. ^ a b c Puerto Rican Sign Language at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)  
  31. ^ a b Sierra Leonean Sign Language at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)  
  32. ^ Selangor Sign Language at Ethnologue (16th ed., 2009)  
  33. ^ "Singapore Sign Language". SADeaf. Archived from the original on 2023-08-02. Retrieved 2020-12-26.
  34. ^ Reilly, Charles & Suvannus, Sathaporn (1999). Education of deaf people in the kingdom of Thailand. In Brelje, H.William (ed.) (1999). Global perspectives on education of the deaf in selected countries. Hillsboro, OR: Butte. pp. 367–82. NB. This is a prevalence estimate 1/1000 people as deaf. Based on 2007 figures of Thailand's population, an estimate of 67,000 deaf people is more accurate.[citation needed] Furthermore, hearing-speaking people are beginning to learn and use the Thai Sign Language.
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