Seychelles Sign Language, also known as Lalang Siny Seselwa, is a
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 elements, no ...
used by
deaf and hard of hearing Seychellois Creole people. Formalization of the language began as an effort in 2008 between representatives of the Seychellois Association for People with Hearing Impairment and the Paris-based
Institut National de Jeunes Sourds de Paris. In 2011, the Seychelles government, with support from
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
, began work on a standardization project for the language, which culminated in 2019 the first dictionary of Seychelles Sign. The language shows influence from
French,
American, and
Mauritian Sign Language.
References
Languages of Seychelles
{{Seychelles-stub