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Costa Rican Sign Language

Bolivian Sign Language
Lenguaje de Señas Bolivianas LSB
Native to Bolivia
Native speakers
350–400 (1988)
French Sign
Language codes
ISO 639-3
Glottolog boli1236  Bolivian Sign Language
Costa Rican Sign Language
New Costa Rican Sign Language
Native to Costa Rica
Language codes
ISO 639-3
Glottolog cost1249  Costa Rican Sign Language
Dominican Sign Language
Native to Dominican Republic
French Sign
Language codes
ISO 639-3
Glottolog domi1236  Dominican Sign Language
Francophone African Sign Language
Native to Ivory Coast, Benin, Cameroon, Gabon, and other areas of Francophone West and Central Africa
Native speakers
12,500 in Benin, 530 in Guinea, unknown numbers elsewhere (2008)
French Sign
Language codes
ISO 639-3 None (mis)
Individual code:
 – Guinean Sign Language
Glottolog guin1250  Guinean Sign Language
Ghanaian Sign Language
Native to Ghana
Native speakers
6,000+ (2004)
French Sign
Language codes
ISO 639-3
Glottolog ghan1235  Ghanaian Sign Language
Jamaican Sign Language
JSL
Native to Jamaica
Native speakers
7,500 (2011)
French Sign
Language codes
ISO 639-3
Glottolog jama1263  Jamaican Sign Language
Moroccan Sign Language
MSL
Native to Morocco
Region Tetouan
Native speakers
63,000 (2008)
French Sign
Language codes
ISO 639-3
Glottolog moro1242  Moroccan Sign Language
Nigerian Sign Language
Native to Nigeria, Chad, Republic of Congo
Native speakers
2,800 in Chad (2008)
unknown number in Nigeria
French Sign
Language codes
ISO 639-3 Either:
 – Nigerian Sign
 – Chadian Sign
Glottolog nige1259  Nigerian Sign
Panamanian Sign Language
Lengua de señas panameñas
Native to Panama
French Sign
Language codes
ISO 639-3
Glottolog pana1308  Panamanian Sign Language
Puerto Rican Sign Language
PRSL
Lengua de señas puertorriqueña
Native to Puerto Rico
Ethnicity 8,000 to 40,000 deaf (1986)
French Sign
Language codes
ISO 639-3
Glottolog puer1237  Puerto Rican Sign Language

American Sign Language (ASL) developed in the United States and Canada, but has spread around the world. 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).

The following are sign language varieties of ASL in countries other than the USA 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 (Lenguaje de Señas Bolivianas, LSB) is a dialect of American Sign Language (ASL) used predominantly by the Deaf in Bolivia.

In 1973, American Sign Language was brought to Bolivia by Eleanor and Lloyd Powlison, missionaries from the United States. 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.

The first book of LSB was published in 1992, but more than 90% of the signs were from ASL. 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, 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. In 2002 there were approximately 25 deaf schools.

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.


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