The following is the entry for this language as it appeared in the 14th edition (2000).
It was superseded by the corresponding entry in the 15th edition (2005). See also the corresponding entry in the current edition of Ethnologue.
SIL code: NSL
ISO 639-2: sgn
| Population | 4,000 deaf users out of about 4,000 deaf (1986 Gallaudet Univ.) |
| Dialects | HOLMESTRAND, OSLO, TRONDHEIM. |
| Classification | Deaf sign language. |
| Comments | Intelligible with Danish and Swedish sign languages with only moderate difficulty. Not intelligible with Finnish Sign Language. Used since 1815. The first deaf school was begun in 1825, first club in 1878. It is passed to the next generation mainly through the schools. 3 dialects are associated with 3 schools. Signed Norwegian is used by teachers; pupils use Norwegian Sign Language among themselves. Signed interpretation required in court, provided some for college students, in mental health programs. Sign language instruction provided for parents of deaf children. Many classes for hearing people. There is a committee on national sign language. There is a manual system for spelling. Films, TV, videos. |
