Taiwan Sign Language

A language of Chinaâ€“Taiwan

ISO 639: tss
Alternate Names: Taiwan Shouyu, Taiwan Ziran Shouyu
Population: 24,000 (2021), decreasing. Estimated 24,000 deaf signers, assuming 0.1% of total population.
Location:: Scattered.
Language Status: 6b (Threatened).
Classification: Sign language, Deaf community sign language
Dialects: Taipei, Tainan, Kaohsiung. 2 major dialects. Sources from which the sign language developed were indigenous sign systems before 1895, Japanese occupation and education 1895–1946, Mainland Chinese Sign Language brought by refugees in 1949 and some from Hong Kong since. Lexical similarity: 50% with Japanese Sign Language [jsl].
Language Use: Decreasing, but not likely to die out, as many deaf are not candidates for cochlear implants or hearing aids. Schools, sporting events, some homes, churches for the deaf. Some young people, all adults. 5 to old age. Neutral attitudes. Many also use Mandarin Chinese [cmn], in written form or use gestures.
Language Development: Literacy rate in L2: 60%–70%. 4 elementary, 3 high schools. Taught in primary and secondary schools.
Other Comments: Quite different from (Mainland) Chinese Sign Language [csl]; only a few signs the same or similar. Some signs borrowed from Chinese characters, e.g. by drawing on the palm with a finger. There is also a Signed Mandarin (Wenfa Shouyu). 1,540 special education schools in Taiwan in 2002, which includes schools for the deaf.

Location: Scattered.