Sinasian Sign Language (SSSL) is a
village sign language A village sign language, or village sign, also known as a shared sign language, is a local indigenous sign language used by both deaf and hearing in an area with a high incidence of congenital deafness. Meir ''et al.'' define a village sign langua ...
of the Sinasina valley in
Chimbu Province
Chimbu, more frequently spelled Simbu, is a province in the Highlands Region of Papua New Guinea. The province has an area of 6,112 km2 and a population of 376,473 (2011 census). The capital of the province is Kundiawa. Mount Wilhelm, the tal ...
, Papua New Guinea. This language is used by approximately 3 deaf and 50 hearing individuals, including members of the Kere community. SSSL was first encountered and reported by linguists in 2016. Documentation efforts are ongoing.
Sinasina Sign Language may have lexical similarities with another village sign language in the region,
Kailge Sign Language
Kailge Sign Language is a well-developed village sign language of Western Highlands Province
Western Highlands is a province of Papua New Guinea. The provincial capital is Mount Hagen. The province covers an area of 4,299 km2, and there a ...
., but its genetic affiliation has yet to be established.
[Rarrick, Samantha. 2019. "Shifting Attitudes and Uncertain Futures: The Endangerment of Sinasina Sign Language (Papua New Guinea)." Foundation for Endangered Languages (FEL XXIII). Sydney Centre for Language Research, The University of Sydney, Sydney.]
See also
*
Sinasina language
References
Village sign languages
Sign languages of Papua New Guinea
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