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From:
Steve/Dianne Parkhurst Date: Mon Oct 18, 1999 5:19 pm Subject: number of spoken and SLs | ||||||||||||
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Hi all, We have been busy lately and haven't had time to answer e-mails. Well, we are at a brief lull in our schedule and so I thought I would reply to a message Valerie sent a while back about the number of SLs and spoken languages in the world. Valerie wrote: >>I don't believe anyone really knows how many spoken or signed languages there are in the world. But I suspect there are as many signed languages in the world, as there are spoken languages in the world. Just like spoken languages, signed languages are unique to each region in the world too.>> Actually we are getting closer to knowing exactly how many spoken languages there are in the world. Every couple years a new addition of the Ethnologue comes out with a list of languages. And although new languages are added to the list every year, the number of new languages is getting smaller and smaller. The 13th edition of the Ethnologue lists 6,703 living languages. Of those languages, 103 are sign languages. Of course spoken languages have been rigorously studied and researched for for many years, whereas SL research is just now beginning to take off. I really expect there to be quite a few more than just 100 SLs in the world. But at the same time I doubt that there are anywhere near 1000 let alone 6,703!! One very common misunderstanding is that there is a consistent link between the spoken language and the signed language. We work in Spain and we constantly get requests from people in the States who would like to know about "Spanish SL" so that they could communicate with people in Mexico or Puerto Rico. Sorry, it doesn't work that way. The SL here in Madrid, Spain is totally different than ASL and Mexican SL. Let me give you an example: In the US there are 175 living spoken languages (mostly Native American languages) yet there is only one SL. And although there may be regional differences, there is an amazing amount of uniformity. I've seen more difference between alumni of two different Deaf schools here in Madrid than between the ASL in Seattle and NC (that's my impression, not an established fact). Anyway, let me continue: In the Philippines there are 168 living languages, yet the SL there is a dialect of ASL. So, you see there is not a one-to-one correspondence between SL and spoken language. (This holds true in lots of other countries too.) So, I would have to say that it is inaccurate to say that there are "as many signed languages in the world, as there are spoken languages in the world." But I do think it is fair to say that there are at least 100 sign languages and likely many more than that. Well, I'll hush now. Take care, Steve :-) ------------------------------------------- Steve Parkhurst | ||||||||||||
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