Penang Sign Language

A language of Malaysia

ISO 639: psg
Population: 1,000, decreasing. 150 monolinguals.
Location:: Pulau Pinang: scattered.
Language Status: 8a (Moribund).
Classification: Sign language, Deaf community sign language
Language Use: Home. Older adults only. Neutral attitudes. Shifted to Malaysian Sign Language [xml]. Many also use English [eng], in written form. Used as L2 by Selangor Sign Language [kgi].
Language Development: Literacy rate in L2: Up to 50% in English [eng].
Language Resources: OLAC resources in and about Penang Sign Language
Writing: Unwritten [Qaax].
Other Comments: Deaf school established in Penang in 1954, with only oral method. Penang Sign Language evolved outside the classroom. Use declined after introduction of ASL [ase] to the country in the early 1960s, and the school in 1976 (Hurlbut 2003).

Location: Pulau Pinang: scattered.