| Swiss-German Sign Language | |
|---|---|
| DSGS Schweizerdeutsche Gebärdensprache Langue des Signes Suisse-Allemande Lingua dei Segni Svizzero-Tedesca Germani Helvetti Language | |
| Native to | Switzerland,Liechtenstein |
| Signers | 5,500 (2010)[1] |
| SignWriting | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | sgg |
| Glottolog | swis1240 |
| ELP | Swiss-German Sign Language |
Swiss-German Sign Language (German:Deutschschweizer Gebärdensprache, abbreviatedDSGS) is the primarydeaf sign language of theGerman-speaking part of Switzerland and ofLiechtenstein. The language was established around 1828.[2] In 2011 it was estimated that 7,500 deaf and 13,000 hearing people use DSGS.[3] There are six dialects which developed in boarding schools for the deaf inZürich,Bern,Basel,Lucerne, andSt. Gallen, as well as inLiechtenstein.[3]
In Switzerland, the language is calledGebärdensprache (sign language) if a distinction from other languages is not required. Some sources call itNatürliche Gebärden orNatürliche Gebärdensprache,[4] orSwiss Sign Language (Langage gestuel suisse).[2] The former just means 'natural sign', like those for "sleep" or "eat", in contrast toAbstrakte Gebärden 'conceptual sign',[5] and so the term is no longer used. Most English sources today uses the termGerman-Swiss Sign Language orSwiss-German Sign Language.[6][7]
Wittmann (1991) suspects that Swiss-German Sign Language may be part of theFrench Sign Language family, but it is not close and this is not easy to demonstrate.[2]
In Switzerland, the parentage of this language is still in research. Research on whether DSGS could be a derivative of theGerman Sign Language (DGS) is planned, but it was observed that DSGS signers are often more open to borrowing loan signs from LSF-SR, theFrench Sign Language dialect of theSuisse Romande, and less from the DGS.[3]
Two books have been published inSignWriting.[3]
Themanual alphabet is similar to that ofGerman Sign Language andAmerican Sign Language, but with the following differences:
