Page Type: languagePuerto Rican Sign Language | Ethnologue

PSL ISO 639-3

Puerto Rican Sign Language

A language of Puerto Rico

ISO 639
psl
Alternate Names
ASL, American Sign Language, PRSL
Population
10,000 (2021 DBS/DOOR/SIL). Estimated 6,000–13,000 deaf signers, based on 0.2%–0.4% of the general population. another estimate: 8,000–40,000 deaf persons (Van Cleve 1986).
Location:
Scattered.
Language Status
5 (Developing).
Classification
Sign language, Deaf community sign language
Dialects
None known. Closely-related to American Sign Language (ASL) [ase], especially in varieties used in the major cities, although Puerto Rican signers report difficulty understanding ASL signers from the mainland United States. Unlike standard ASL, PRSL makes very little use of fingerspelling, there are differences in mouth patterns, and several lexical differences (2019 T. Dozier).
Language Use
Vigorous. Used by all. Also use English [eng]. Also use Spanish [spa].
Other Comments
ASL introduced in 1907 by Catholic nuns, with some incorporation of local home signs. Some people use the name Puerto Rican Sign Language to describe the signing in most of Puerto Rico; others call it American Sign Language. Signing in major cities is more like standard ASL from the mainland United States, and schools use standard ASL textbooks (2019 T. Dozier). Varieties in the rural west and central are more divergent. One region in the center of the country, around Orocovis, has a high incidence of deafness and signing that is distinct enough from the rest of the country to probably be considered a separate language.

Also Spoken in

Map

Location: Scattered.