| Penang Sign Language | |
|---|---|
| Bahasa Isyarat Pulau Pinang | |
| Native to | Malaysia |
| Region | originallyPenang |
Native speakers | 1,000 older signers (no date)[1] most bilingual inMalaysian Sign |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | psg |
| Glottolog | pena1248 |
| ELP | Penang Sign Language |
Penang Sign Language (Malay:Bahasa Isyarat Pulau Pinang) was developed in Malaysia bydeaf children, outside the classroom, whenoralism was predominant. It is now mainly used by older people, although many younger people can understand it.
Penang Sign Language began when the first school for the deaf,Federation School for the Deaf (FSD), was established byLady Templer, the wife of the British High Commissioner in Malaya, in 1954. Deaf students went to FSD, to learn oral skills, not sign language. However, the students would sign by themselves in the dormitory of FSD every night.
In the 1960s, Tan Yap went toGallaudet University inWashington, D.C. to learn deaf culture and sign language. He brought an ASL book back with him to Malaysia. But Tan Yap's suggestions were rejected by the Government.
An American, Professor Frances Parsons, travelled around the world in 1976 in order to introduceTotal Communication and Sign Language to poor schools for the deaf, in order to better prepare them for education. In the same year, Frances Parsons went toKuala Lumpur to meet withMahathir Mohamad, the Minister of Education. After a 45-minute discussion, Mahathir agreed with Parsons's suggestions and theory. In the next few days, Mahathir announced new legislation that obliged schools in Malaysia to teach Total Communication and Sign Language. As a result, BIM (Bahasa Isyarat Malaysia) or MSL (Malaysian Sign Language) became similar to American Sign Language after 1976.
