Varieties of American Sign Language

Varieties and descendants of ASL are used throughout the Caribbean, West and Central Africa, and Southeast Asia

American Sign Language (ASL) developed in the United States, starting as a blend of local sign languages and French Sign Language (FSL).[1] Local varieties have developed in many countries, but there is little research on which should be considered dialects of ASL (such as Bolivian Sign Language) and which have diverged to the point of being distinct languages (such as Malaysian Sign Language).

The following are sign language varieties of ASL in countries other than the US and Canada, languages based on ASL with substratum influence from local sign languages, and mixed languages in which ASL is a component. Distinction follow political boundaries, which may not correspond to linguistic boundaries.

  1. ^ "What Is American Sign Language (ASL)? | NIDCD". www.nidcd.nih.gov. 2021-10-29. Retrieved 2024-02-15.