| Yolŋu Sign Language | |
|---|---|
| Penguin Sign Language | |
| Native to | Australia |
| Region | Gove Peninsula,Northern Territory |
| Ethnicity | Yolngu people |
| Signers | 5,000 natively bilingual (2012)[1] |
Pama–Nyungan
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | ygs – inclusive codeIndividual code: yhs – Yan-nhaŋu Sign Language |
| Glottolog | yoln1234 |
Yolŋu (Yolngu) orPenguin Sign Language is a ritualsign language used by theYolngu, anAboriginal community in the Arnhem Land region ofAustralia. As with otherAustralian Aboriginal sign languages, YSL was developed by the hearing for use when oral speech is forbidden, as during mourning or between certain family relations. (Seeavoidance speech.) However, "YSL is not a signed version of any spoken Yolngu language... YSL also serves as a primary means of communication for a number of deaf members in Yolngu communities... YSL functions as both an alternate and primary sign language".[2] That is, it is used for communicating to the deaf, but also when communicating at a distance, when hunting, or when ceremonies require silence. It was acquired from birth by the hearing population. YSL is now considered anendangered language.[3]
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