The French Sign Language (LSF, from ''langue des signes française'') or Francosign family is a

language family A language family is a group of languages related through descent from a common ''ancestral language'' or ''parental language'', called the proto-language of that family. The term "family" reflects the tree model of language origination in hist ...

sign language Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation in combination with non-manual markers. Sign l ...

s which includes

French Sign Language French Sign Language (french: langue des signes française, LSF) is the sign language of the deaf in France and French-speaking parts of Switzerland. According to ''Ethnologue'', it has 100,000 native signers. French Sign Language is related ...

and

American Sign Language American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States of America and most of Anglophone Canadians, Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual lang ...

. The LSF family descends from

Old French Sign Language Old French Sign Language (french: Vieille langue des signes française, often abbreviated as VLSF) was the language of the deaf community in 18th-century Paris at the time of the establishment of the first deaf schools. The earliest records of ...

(VLSF), which developed among the deaf community in Paris. The earliest mention of Old French Sign Language is by the abbé

Charles-Michel de l'Épée Charles-Michel de l'Épée (; 24 November 1712 – 23 December 1789) was a philanthropic educator of 18th-century France who has become known as the "Father of the Deaf". Overview Charles-Michel de l'Épée was born to a wealthy family in Versail ...

in the late 18th century, but it could have existed for centuries prior. Several European sign languages, such as

Russian Sign Language Russian Sign Language (RSL) is the sign language used by the Deaf community in Russia and possibly Ukraine, Belarus and Tajikistan. It belongs to the French Sign Language family. RSL is a natural language with a grammar that differs from spoke ...

, derive from it, as does

, established when French educator

Laurent Clerc Louis Laurent Marie Clerc (; 26 December 1785 – 18 July 1869) was a French teacher called "The Apostle of the Deaf in America" and was regarded as the most renowned deaf person in American Deaf History. He was taught by Abbé Sicard and dea ...

taught his language at the

American School for the Deaf The American School for the Deaf (ASD), originally ''The American Asylum, At Hartford, For The Education And Instruction Of The Deaf'', is the oldest permanent school for the deaf in the United States, and the first school for children with disa ...

. Others, such as

Spanish Sign Language Spanish Sign Language ( es, Lengua de Signos Española, LSE) is a sign language used mainly by deaf people in Spain and the people who live with them. Although there are not many reliable statistics, it is estimated that there are over 100,000 s ...

, are thought to be related to French Sign Language even if they are not directly descendant from it.

Language family tree

Anderson (1979)

Anderson (1979) postulated the following classification of LSF and its relatives, with derivation from Medieval monks' sign systems, though some lineages are apparently traced by their manual alphabets and thus irrelevant for actual classification: *

Monastic sign languages Monastic sign languages have been used in Europe from at least the 10th century by Christian monks, and some, such as Cistercian and Trappist sign, are still in use today—not only in Europe, but also in Japan, China and the USA. Unlike deaf sig ...

(described 1086) *"Southwest European" Sign Languages **Proto-Spanish ***

(dictionary 1851) ***

Venezuelan Sign Language Venezuelan Sign language or VSL (''Lengua de señas venezolana'' or ''LSV'') is the national deaf sign language of Venezuela. The term, "Venezuelan Sign Language," began to be used in the 1930s. It is widely used, and Venezuela has a national bi ...

***Irish → Australian Catholic **Old Polish →

Polish Sign Language Polish Sign Language ("Polski Język Migowy", PJM) is the language of the Deaf community in Poland. Polish Sign Language uses a one-handed manual alphabet of Old French Sign Language and therefore appears to be related to French Sign Language. It ...

(VLSF, before l'Épée) ***Eastern French: Old Danish (edu. 1807), Old German, German Evangelical (edu. 1779 Austria), Old Russian (edu. 1806) ***Western French ****Middle French Sign Language finger-spelling group: Netherlands (1780), Belgium (1793), Switzerland, Old French ****Middle French (dict. 1850) → French ****American (edu. 1816; later including components from Northwest European sign languages) ****International finger-spelling group: Norway, Finland, Germany, US ****Old Brazilian → Brazil, Argentina, Mexico

Wittmann (1991) and later research

Henri Wittmann Henri Wittmann (born 1937) is a Canadian linguist from Quebec. He is best known for his work on Quebec French. Biography Henri (Hirsch) Wittmann was born in Alsace in 1937. After studying with André Martinet at the Sorbonne, he moved to North Am ...

(1991) has been influential in scholarly attempts at constructing the French Sign Language family tree. He listed most of the following suspected members of the family, with date of establishment or earliest attestation. Subsequent scholarly research has confirmed most of his conclusions, but rejected others and expanded the family tree with new branches, while removing others.

(1752; may be different from Old French Sign Language) *Austro-Hungarian Sign Language (1780; now seen as separate

Austrian Sign Language Austrian Sign Language, or ''Österreichische Gebärdensprache'' (ÖGS), is the sign language used by the Austrian Deaf community—approximately 10,000 people (see Krausneker 2006). Classification ÖGS and Hungarian Sign Language seem to be ...

and

Hungarian Sign Language Hungarian Sign Language is the sign language of Deaf people in Hungary. There is historical evidence that Hungarian and Austrian Sign Language Austrian Sign Language, or ''Österreichische Gebärdensprache'' (ÖGS), is the sign language used by ...

) **

Czech Sign Language Czech Sign Language is the sign language of the deaf community in the Czech Republic. It presumably emerged around the time of the first deaf school in Bohemia (1786). It belongs to the French sign-language family and is partially intelligible wi ...

(1786) **

Ukrainian Sign Language Ukrainian Sign Language (USL) ( uk, Українська жестова мова (УЖМ)) is the sign language of the deaf community of Ukraine. Ukrainian Sign Language belongs to the family of French sign languages. Worldwide awareness of Ukr ...

(1805) **

(1806) ***

Bulgarian Sign Language Bulgarian Sign Language (in Bulgarian: "български жестомимичен език (БЖЕ)") is the language, or perhaps languages, of the deaf community in Bulgaria. Primary schools were established for the deaf. Russian Sign Langua ...

(1920) ***probably

Estonian Sign Language Estonian Sign Language ( et, eesti viipekeel, EVK) is the national sign language of Estonia. History and character Research into the origins and nature of EVK did not begin until the late 1980s, so many details remain unknown. Ulrike Zeshan ...

(1866) **

Slovak Sign Language The Slovak Sign Language is the sign language of the deaf community in Slovakia. It belongs to the French sign-language family. Bickford (2005) found that Slovak, Czech, and Hungarian Sign formed a cluster with Romanian, Bulgarian, and Polish Sig ...

** Slovenian Sign Language (1840) **

Croatian Sign Language Croatian sign language (Hrvatski znakovni jezik, HZJ) is a sign language of the deaf community in Croatia. It has in the past been regarded as a dialect of Yugoslav Sign Language, although the dialectical diversity of the former Yugoslavia has no ...

(1885) **possibly

Israeli Sign Language Israeli Sign Language, also known as Shassi or ISL, is the most commonly used sign language by the Deaf community of Israel. Some other sign languages are also used in Israel, among them Al-Sayyid Bedouin Sign Language. History The history of ...

(1934) (but

German Sign Language German Sign Language or Deutsche Gebärdensprache (DGS), is the sign language of the deaf community in Germany, Luxembourg and in the German-speaking community of Belgium. It is unclear how many use German Sign Language as their main language; Ga ...

may be a stronger possibility) *

Belgian Sign Language Flemish Sign Language ( nl, Vlaamse Gebarentaal, VGT) is a deaf sign language of Belgium. It is closely related to French Belgian Sign Language, but they are now generally recognized as distinct languages. VGT is estimated to include around 6,0 ...

( – ), split during the federalisation of Belgium **

Flemish Sign Language Flemish Sign Language ( nl, Vlaamse Gebarentaal, VGT) is a deaf sign language of Belgium. It is closely related to French Belgian Sign Language, but they are now generally recognized as distinct languages. VGT is estimated to include around 6,0 ...

( – present) **

French Belgian Sign Language The French Belgian Sign Language (french: Langue des signes de Belgique francophone; LSFB) is the deaf sign language of the French language Community of Belgium, a country in Western Europe. It and Flemish Sign Language are very closely related ...

( – present) *

Dutch Sign Language Dutch Sign Language ( nl, Nederlandse Gebarentaal or NGT; Sign Language of the Netherlands or SLN) is the predominant sign language used by deaf people in the Netherlands. Although the same spoken Dutch language is used in the Netherlands and ...

(1799) *

Danish Sign Language Danish Sign Language ( da, Dansk tegnsprog, DTS) is the sign language used in Denmark. Classification Henri Wittmann (1991) Wittmann, Henri (1991). "Classification linguistique des langues signées non vocalement." Revue québécoise de linguist ...

(1806) **

Malagasy Sign Language The Malagasy Sign Language is a sign language used for communication among hearing impaired people in Madagascar. An estimated 110,000 to 170,000 people (or 1% of the population of Madagascar) are deaf. It also shows similarities with the Norwegian ...

(unknown) **

Norwegian Sign Language Norwegian Sign Language, or NSL (Norwegian or , ''NTS''), is the principal sign language in Norway. There are many sign language organizations and some television programs broadcast in NSL in Norway. The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation airs ...

(1825) **

Icelandic Sign Language Icelandic Sign Language ( is, Íslenskt táknmál) is the sign language of the deaf community in Iceland. It is based on Danish Sign Language; until 1910, deaf Icelandic people were sent to school in Denmark, but the languages have diverged since ...

(split ca. 1910) *

Latvian Sign Language Latvian Sign Language ( lv, latviešu zīmju valoda) is a sign language commonly used by deaf people in Latvia. Linguists use LSL as an acronym for Latvian Sign Language. Policy and education The Official Language Law of 9 December 1999, wh ...

(1806) *

Philippine Sign Language Filipino Sign Language (FSL) or Philippine Sign Language ( fil, Wikang pasenyas ng mga Pilipino), is a sign language originating in the Philippines. Like other sign languages, FSL is a unique language with its own grammar, syntax and morphology; ...

(1806?) (frequently attributed to American Sign Language) *

(1817, with possible local admixture) **

Puerto Rican Sign Language American Sign Language (ASL) developed in the United States and Canada, but has spread around the world. Local varieties have developed in many countries, but there is little research on which should be considered dialects of ASL (such as Bolivi ...

(1907) **

Thai Sign Language Thai Sign Language (TSL), or Modern Standard Thai Sign Language (MSTSL), is the national sign language of Thailand's deaf community and is used in most parts of the country by the 20 percent of the estimated 56,000 pre-linguistically deaf people ...

(1951, creolized with indigenous sign). **

Ghanaian Sign Language American Sign Language (ASL) developed in the United States and Canada, but has spread around the world. Local varieties have developed in many countries, but there is little research on which should be considered dialects of ASL (such as Bolivia ...

(1957) **

Nigerian Sign Language American Sign Language (ASL) developed in the United States and Canada, but has spread around the world. Local varieties have developed in many countries, but there is little research on which should be considered dialects of ASL (such as Bolivia ...

(1960) ** Kuala Lumpur Sign Language (1960?; now

Malaysian Sign Language Malaysian Sign Language ( ms, Bahasa Isyarat Malaysia, or BIM) is the principal language of the deaf community of Malaysia. It is also the official sign language used by the Malaysian government to communicate with the deaf community and was offi ...

?) **

Bolivian Sign Language American Sign Language (ASL) developed in the United States and Canada, but has spread around the world. Local varieties have developed in many countries, but there is little research on which should be considered dialects of ASL (such as Bolivia ...

(1973; a dialect of

) **

Moroccan Sign Language American Sign Language (ASL) developed in the United States and Canada, but has spread around the world. Local varieties have developed in many countries, but there is little research on which should be considered dialects of ASL (such as Bolivia ...

(1987?) **

Black American Sign Language Black American Sign Language (BASL) or Black Sign Variation (BSV) is a dialect of American Sign Language (ASL) used most commonly by deaf African Americans in the United States. The divergence from ASL was influenced largely by the School segr ...

McCaskill, Carolyn, Ceil Lucas, Robert Bayley, and Joseph Hill. 2011. The Hidden Treasure of Black ASL: Its History and Structure. Washington, D.C.: Gallaudet University Press. . **and " Eskimo Sign Language"? (dubious: the indigenous

Inuit Sign Language Inuit Sign Language (IUR, Inuktitut: ᐆᒃᑐᕋᐅᓯᖏᑦ or Atgangmuurngniq ᐊᑦᒐᖕᒨᕐᖕᓂᖅ) is an indigenous sign language. It is a language isolate native to Inuit communities in the Canadian Arctic. It is currently only at ...

is an isolate) *A mixture of LSF and ASL may have given rise to **

Quebec Sign Language Quebec Sign Language, known in French as Langue des signes québécoise or Langue des signes du Québec (LSQ), is the predominant sign language of deaf communities used in francophone Canada, primarily in Quebec. Although named Quebec sign, LSQ ...

(1817) **

Greek Sign Language Greek Sign Language ( el, Ελληνική νοηματική γλώσσα) is a sign language used by the Greek deaf community Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is ...

(with local admixture) *

Italian Sign Language Italian Sign Language or LIS (''Lingua dei Segni Italiana'') is the visual language used by deaf people in Italy. Deep analysis of it began in the 1980s, along the lines of William Stokoe's research on American Sign Language in the 1960s. Until t ...

(1828) **

Tunisian Sign Language Tunisian Sign Language is the sign language Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation ...

(with local admixture) *

Irish Sign Language Irish Sign Language (ISL, ga, Teanga Chomharthaíochta na hÉireann) is the sign language of Ireland, used primarily in the Republic of Ireland. It is also used in Northern Ireland, alongside British Sign Language (BSL). Irish Sign Language is ...

(1846) *

Mexican Sign Language Mexican Sign Language (''"Lengua de Señas Mexicana"'' or LSM, also previously known by several other names), is a natural language that serves as the predominant language of the Deaf community in Mexico. LSM is a complete and organized visual l ...

(1869) *

Algerian Sign Language Algerian Sign Language (French: ''Langue des signes algérienne (LSA)'', Tamazight: ''Tutlayt Tagugamt n Lezzayer'', Arabic: لغة الإشارة الجزائرية ) is the sign language most commonly used in Algeria. It was officially recogn ...

(undated) *

Romanian Sign Language The Romanian Sign Language ( ro, Limba semnelor române, LSR) is the sign language used by deaf people in Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and ...

(undated) and, perhaps, *

Catalan Sign Language Catalan Sign Language ( ca, Llengua de signes catalana, LSC; ) is a sign language used by around 18,000 people in different areas of Spain including Barcelona and Catalonia. As of 2012, the Catalan Federation for the Deaf estimates 25,000 LSC sig ...

(undated, but early) ;Post-1991 modifications Wittnann believed

Lyons Sign Language Spurious languages are languages that have been reported as existing in reputable works, while other research has reported that the language in question did not exist. Some spurious languages have been proven to not exist. Others have very li ...

Brazilian Sign Language Brazilian Sign Language ( pt, Língua Brasileira de Sinais ) is the sign language used by deaf communities of urban Brazil. It is also known in short as Libras () and variously abbreviated as LSB, LGB or LSCB (; "Brazilian Cities Sign Language" ...

, and

, which are sometimes counted in the French family, had separate origins, though with some contact through

stimulus diffusion In cultural anthropology and cultural geography, cultural diffusion, as conceptualized by Leo Frobenius in his 1897/98 publication ''Der westafrikanische Kulturkreis'', is the spread of cultural items—such as ideas, styles, religions, technologi ...

, and it was Lyons rather than French Sign Language that gave rise to

Chilean Sign Language Chilean Sign Language, or ''Lengua de Señas Chilena'' (LSCh), is the sign language of Chile's seven deaf institutions. It is used by people all over Chile and is the primary language used by the deaf community, being used for television interpre ...

(1852) has also been included in the French family but is not listed by Wittmann. Hawaiian Pidgin Sign Language (with possible local admixture) turned out to be an isolate, unrelated to French, American, or any other Sign Language. J. Albert Bickford concluded that there was 'no substantive evidence that the yons Sign Languageever existed' and retired it from

Ethnologue ''Ethnologue: Languages of the World'' (stylized as ''Ethnoloɠue'') is an annual reference publication in print and online that provides statistics and other information on the living languages of the world. It is the world's most comprehensiv ...

in 2017.

References

{{French Sign Language languages Deaf culture

Language family tree

Anderson (1979)

Wittmann (1991) and later research

See also

References