Page Type: languageSalvadoran Sign Language | Ethnologue

ESN ISO 639-3

Salvadoran Sign Language

A language of El Salvador

ISO 639
esn
Alternate Names
El Salvadoran Sign Language, LESA, LESSA, Lengua de señas salvadoreñas
Population
26,000 (2020 H. Harm). Estimated 26,000, or approximately 0.4% of the overall population (2020 H. Harm). Other estimates: 50%–75% of the total deaf signers use LESSA (Ciupek-Reed 2012).
Location:
Scattered.
Language Status
4 (Educational). Recognized language (2005, Acuerdo Nº 16-0132, August 12, 2005; Ley General de Educación, Art. 15-A (as amended 2014)).
Classification
Sign language, Deaf community sign language
Language Use
LESSA is in use in families with generational deafness, in public deaf education, within deaf associations, at churches with interpreted services, for distributing information on the internet, and for official interpretation for the government of El Salvador. The growth and spread of deaf education using LESSA suggests that the percentage of LESSA users will increase. Multigenerational deaf families all use LESSA (Ciupek-Reed 2012). Five active interpreters (2008 WFD). Some also use American Sign Language [ase], especially in the western region. A few also use Costa Rican Sign Language [csr], in the eastern region, mixed with LESSA. Also use Spanish [spa], with positive attitude toward developing Spanish reading and writing skills (Ciupek-Reed 2012). Used as L2 by American Sign Language [ase], Costa Rican Sign Language [csr].
Language Development
Literacy in written Spanish is increasing. Taught in primary schools. Texts. Agencies: Asociación Salvadoreña de Sordos (ASS); Asociación pro Desarrollo Integral de la Comunidad Sorda Salvadoreña (ASDICSSA); Fundación Pro Educación de El Salvador (FUNPRES).
Other Comments
Some Deaf people use a variety of signing which is based on ASL with strong Spanish influence. Although they call it ‘ASL’ (see separate entry for ASL [ase] in El Salvador), they cannot understand ASL from the United States (Ciupek-Reed 2012). Christian.

Also Spoken in

Map

Location: Scattered.