Estonian Sign Language
A language of Estonia
| Population | 4,500 users out of 1,600 deaf and 20,000 hearing impaired. 2,000 persons need regular help from interpreters (1998 U. Sutrop). |
| Region | Widespread, mostly in Tallinn and Pärnu. |
| Alternate names | Viipekeel |
| Dialects | Some local dialects. The dialect in Pärnu is the most archaic. Apparent influences from Finnish and Russian Sign Languages. |
| Classification | Deaf sign language |
| Language use | Russian Sign Language is used in Tallinn by deaf Russians. In other regions Russians use some pidginized versions of Russian Sign Language mixed with Estonian Sign Language. Systematic teaching and research since 1990 at the Dept. of Special Education at Tartu University. Sign language instruction for parents of deaf children in Tallinn. Some can use both Estonian and Russian Sign Languages. |
| Language development | TV. Videos. Dictionary. Grammar. |
Ethnologue: Web |
Ethnologue: Print |
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