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Catalan Sign Language

Catalan Sign Language
Llengua de signes catalana
Native to Catalonia and Comunitat Valenciana
Native speakers
est. 9,000 (2014)
possibly French SL
  • Catalan Sign Language
Dialects
Language codes
ISO 639-3
Glottolog cata1287

Catalan Sign Language (Catalan: Llengua de signes catalana, LSC; IPA: [ˈʎeŋɡwə ðə ˈsiŋnəs kətəˈɫanə]) is a sign language used by around 18,000 people in different regions of Spain including Barcelona and Catalonia. As of 2012, the Catalan Federation for the Deaf estimates 25,000 LSC signers and roughly 12,000 deaf people around the Catalan region. It has about 50% intelligibility with Spanish Sign Language (LSE). On the basis of mutual intelligibility, lexicon, and social attitudes, linguists have argued that LSC and LSE are distinct languages.

Since 1994, LSC has had official status, due to a law to promote the language promulgated by Generalitat de Catalunya. Catalonia was the first Spanish Autonomous Community to approve a law for a sign language.

FESOCA (Catalan Federation of Deaf People) is an NGO founded in 1979 to represent and to defend the rights of deaf associations and individuals to achieve a full social participation and integration. FESOCA organises several courses, activities and meetings. In 2007, a bill was passed in Spain referred to as the "Bill of Deaf People" which was designed to cover sign language issues.

There are research groups for LSC, such as ILLESCAT (LSC Study Centre). This centre studies the evolution of the language, makes linguistic studies and creates new neologisms. The Platform for Linguistic and Cultural Rights for LSC Users a.k.a. LSC, Ara! carried out a law to promote this language in the Statute of Autonomy.

Wittmann (1991) suspects that LSC may be part of the French Sign Language family, but transmission to Catalonia would have happened early, and is not easy to demonstrate. Likewise, a Linguistic Professor from the University of Coruna who specializes in LSC, found that the difference between a language like this and other more common forms of sign language is the use of "neutral space" in front of the signer when speaking on real life situations as well as the use of visual character.


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Wikipedia

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