Thai Sign Language
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A language of Thailand
ISO 639-3
Alternate Names
Modern Standard Thai Sign Language, MSTSL, ThSL, TSL
Population
51,000 profoundly, prelingually deaf people in Thailand (1997 C. Reilly). 20% of deaf children go to school to learn it.
Location
Scattered. Major regional centers and Bangkok.
Language Status
5 (Developing).
Classification
Dialects
None known. Signs used at the deaf school at Tak are reportedly very different.
Typology
Finger-spelling system.
Language Use
Total communication used in school: speaking and signing. Reported high mobility among most deaf people today. Sign language used in school and that used by deaf adults outside is different. Used by all deaf born since 1951; some older ones. Also use Thai [tha]. Used as L2 by Chiangmai Sign Language [csd].
Language Development
Literacy rate in L2: Less than 10%. The first deaf school began in 1951, with help from Gallaudet University. Uses a combination of indigenous signs and American Sign Language [ase]. Educated deaf people have limited Thai literacy skills. Taught in primary schools. TV. Dictionary.
Language Resources
Buddhist.