Cambodian Sign Language
Cambodian Sign Language (CBDSL) is an indigenous deaf sign language of Cambodia.
| Cambodian Sign Language | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Cambodia |
| Region | Phnom Penh |
Native speakers | 7,500 (2015)[1] |
Deaf-community sign language, connection to Thai Sign Language | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | csx |
| Glottolog | camb1244 |
| ELP | Cambodian Sign Language |
History
Little is known of the language situation prior to the first Cambodian school for the deaf being established in the capital of Phnom Penh in 1997. Although the language of education is American Sign Language, modified to follow Khmer word order, the Deaf community of Phnom Penh has developed their language with the support of the Maryknoll Deaf Development Programme.[2]
Classification
CBDSL shares about 40% of basic vocabulary with Modern Thai Sign Language (MTSL). What intelligibility there is with American Sign Language, apart from iconic elements, is due to vocabulary that is shared among CBDSL, MTSL and ASL. No connection with other languages of neighboring countries has been noted.[3]
References
- Cambodian Sign Language at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
- Cambodian Sign Language Production Team (2010) Cambodian Sign Language: English and English – Cambodian Sign Language Dictionary. Hong Kong: Centre for Sign Linguistics and Deaf Studies.
- Woodward, Bradford, Sokchea & Samath (2015) Cambodian Sign Language. In Jepsen et al. (eds.) Sign Languages of the World: A Comparative Handbook, pp. 159–176. De Gruyter Mouton and Ishara Press.
Relevant publications
- Harrelson, Erin Moriarty. "Deaf people with “no language”: Mobility and flexible accumulation in languaging practices of deaf people in Cambodia." Applied Linguistics Review 10, no. 1 (2019): 55-72.
- Woodward, James, Anastasia Bradford, Chea Sokchea, and Heang Samath. "Cambodian Sign Language." In Sign Languages of the World, pp. 159-176. De Gruyter Mouton, 2015.
