Inuit Sign Language
Encyclopedia
Inuit Sign Language or Eskimo Sign Language, is an indigenous sign language
used by both the deaf and the hearing in Inuit
communities in the Canadian Arctic, including Nunavut
and perhaps northern Quebec
and Nova Scotia
. It appears to be a fully developed language, in that it can be used to discussed various topics and convey emotion.
Several of these communities have large deaf populations, and both the hearing and deaf are proficient in it, as in other communities with high rates of congenital deafness such as Martha's Vineyard
. In addition, hearing people have been observed to use it for inter-dialectical communication with Inuit from other communities. MacDougall (2000) notes that "this is not unusual for nomadic hunters and others living in isolated places", suggesting that it may not have originated as a sign language for the deaf.
Sign language
A sign language is a language which, instead of acoustically conveyed sound patterns, uses visually transmitted sign patterns to convey meaning—simultaneously combining hand shapes, orientation and movement of the hands, arms or body, and facial expressions to fluidly express a speaker's...
used by both the deaf and the hearing in Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
communities in the Canadian Arctic, including Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
and perhaps northern Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
. It appears to be a fully developed language, in that it can be used to discussed various topics and convey emotion.
Several of these communities have large deaf populations, and both the hearing and deaf are proficient in it, as in other communities with high rates of congenital deafness such as Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard Sign Language
Martha's Vineyard Sign Language is a sign language once widely used on the island of Martha's Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts, U.S., from the early 18th century to the year 1952. It was remarkable for its use by both deaf and hearing people in the community; consequently, deafness did not...
. In addition, hearing people have been observed to use it for inter-dialectical communication with Inuit from other communities. MacDougall (2000) notes that "this is not unusual for nomadic hunters and others living in isolated places", suggesting that it may not have originated as a sign language for the deaf.