historical relationships between sign languages

[Susan L. McBurney]

Dear SLLING list folks -

I am writing a chapter on the history of sign languages and sign language
linguistics for the forthcoming Mouton handbook on sign language
linguistics, and I'd like to include a (partial) listing of sign languages
and their  historical connections.  I've been unable to find any published
work containing a broad listing of this sort (if anyone knows of something
I've missed, please let me know).

I am hoping SLLING-L members might be willing to take a look at the working
list (included below) and help fill in the gaps and/or correct any errors I
may have listed.  Some of the main sources consulted include Stokoe 1974,
Woodward 1978a, Woodward 1978b, Wittmann 1991, the Ethnologue Database 2005,
postings from this list, and yes ... Wikipedia).

You can email me directly, or respond via the discussion list -- it might
stir up some interesting debate.  In any case, I will post a summary to the
list.

Thanks, in advance, for your help.  Any information on relationships between
sign languages (or suggestions of research to explore) would be GREATLY
appreciated.

Susan McBurney
Spokane, WA
susan.mcburney at gmail.com


*Partial Listing of Relationships Between Sign Languages*


*BRITISH SL*
     * Australian Sign Language
     * New Zealand Sign Language
     * Maritime Sign Language, also known as Nova Scotia Sign Language
     * South African Sign Language
*
FRENCH SL*
     * Quebec Sign Language
     * American Sign Language
               - Ugandan Sign Language
               - Kenyan Sign Language
               - Thai Sign Language
               - Philippine Sign Language
               - Malaysian Sign Language
                       Indonesian SL
               - Caribbean SLs
               - Bolivian SL
               - Ghanaian Sign Language
               - Quebec Sign Language
     * Irish Sign Language
     * Russian Sign Language
     * Dutch Sign Language
     * Flemish Sign Language
     * Belgian-French Sign Language
     * Spanish Sign Language
               - Colombian SL
               - Venezuelan SL
     * Mexican Sign Language
     * Brazilian Sign Language
     * Vietnamese SL

*ITALIAN SL*
     * Albanian SL ?

*JAPANESE SL*
     * Korean Sign Language
     * Taiwanese Sign Language

*SWEDISH SL*
     * Norwegian Sign Language
     * Finnish Sign Language
               - Ugandan SL
     * Portuguese SL ?

*DANISH SL*
     * Icelandic Sign Language

*GERMAN SL*
     * Swiss SL
     * Austrian SL
               - Hungarian SL
     * Israeli SL

*RUSSIAN SL*
     * Estonian SL
     * Lithuanian SL

*CHINESE SL*
dialects: Shanghai SL; Hong Kong SL; Taiwan SL; Tibetan SL

*INDO PAKISTANI SL*

Many many others, of course -- isolates or unknown origin etc.


THANK YOU AGAIN!

+++++++

refs:

Stokoe, William C.: Classification and description of sign languages. In:
Sebeok, Thomas A. (ed): Linguistics and adjacent arts and sciences. Part 1.
(Current trends in linguistics; 12,1) The Hague : Mouton (1974) - pp.
345-371

Wittmann, Henri: Classification linguistique des langues signées
nonvocalement. In: Revue québécoise de linguistique théorique et appliquée.
Les langues signées 10: 1 (1991) - pp. 215-288

Woodward, James: All in the family: Kinship lexicalization across sign
languages. In: Sign Language Studies 7: 19 (1978) - pp. 121-138

Woodward, James: Historical basis of ASL. In: Siple, Patricia (ed):
Understanding language through sign language research. (Perspectives in
Neurolinguistics and Psycholinguistics) New York, San Francisco, London :
Academic Pr. (1978) - pp. 333-348
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