Abstract

CORTES-BELLO, Yenny Milena  and  TOVAR, Lionel Antonio. Is there an Emerging Sign Language on the Island of Providencia?. Folios [online]. 2020, n.51, pp.99-116.  Epub July 06, 2020. ISSN 0123-4870.  https://doi.org/10.17227/folios.51-9764.

Within the framework of studies on linguistic emergence, this article offers a current panorama of the sociolinguistic situation of the deaf population of the island of Providence, in the Colombian Caribbean. To this end, the proposals of linguists of the second half of the 20th century -who postulated the existence of a sign language on this island, called Providence Island Sign Language (PISL)- are revisited. Likewise, the contribution of genetic studies is considered, which points out the relationship between genetic disorders -among which deafness stands out- and inbreeding practices on this island. In this way, this research seeks, with real and current data, to determine if there is a true deaf community with a native sign language on the island of Providencia. The results suggest that these are still home sign systems used by groups that only recently have started to interact with one another and who are not fully schooled either, so that it cannot be said that there is already a true emerging sign language on the island.

Keywords : Providence Island sign language; sign languages; emerging sign languages; home sign; hereditary deafness; genetic deafness.

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