Finland-Swedish Sign Language
{{Short description|Moribund deaf sign language of Finland}}
{{Infobox language
| name = Finland-Swedish Sign Language
| altname = finlandssvenskt teckenspråk (Swedish)
| nativename = suomenruotsalainen viittomakieli (Finnish)
| states = Finland
| ethnicity = Finland-Swedes
| speakers = 150 deaf and 300 total
| date = 2014
| ref = e18
| speakers2 = Same figure of 150 cited in 2001{{e17|fss}}
| familycolor = Sign
| fam1 = British Sign?
| fam2 = Swedish Sign
| fam3 = Finnish Sign
| iso3 = fss
| glotto = finl1235
| glottorefname = Finland-Swedish Sign Language
| map = Finland-Swedish Sign Language.png
}}
Finland-Swedish Sign Language (FinSSL; {{Langx|sv|Finlandssvenskt teckenspråk}}, {{Langx|fi|Suomenruotsalainen viittomakieli}}) is a moribund sign language in Finland. It is now used mainly in private settings by older adults who attended the only Swedish school for the deaf in Finland (in Porvoo, {{Langx|sv|Borgå}}), which was established in the mid-19th century by Carl Oscar Malm but closed in 1993.{{Cite journal|last=Jossfolk|first=Karl-Gustav|date=2017|title=Carl Oskar Malm, en döv visionär|url=https://www.sfv.fi/Site/Data/2942/Files/sfv-kalender-pdf/SFV-kalendern%202017.pdf|journal=SFV-kalendern 2017|language=sv|publisher=Svenska folkskolans vänner|volume=131|eissn=2243-0261|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210723101310/https://www.sfv.fi/Site/Data/2942/Files/sfv-kalender-pdf/SFV-kalendern%202017.pdf|archive-date=2021-07-23}} However, it has recently been taught to some younger individuals.{{Cite web |date=2021-06-17 |title=Suomessa on uhanalainen kieli, jota käyttää enää 100 – koulussa Pohjanmaalla neljä suomenruotsalaisen viittomakielen taitajaa opettaa etänä lapsia ympäri maan |url=https://yle.fi/a/3-11974450 |access-date=2024-04-29 |website=Yle Uutiset |language=fi}} Some 90 persons had it as their native language within Finland in 2014{{cite news | author=Westerlund, Elin | title=Det finlandssvenska teckenspråket är utrotningshotad | newspaper=Hufvudstadsbladet | date=3 August 2018 | pages=8–11 | url=http://www.hbl.fi/artikel/det-finlandssvenska-teckenspraket-utrotningshotat/ | language=sv | url-access=registration | access-date=4 August 2018 | archive-date=4 August 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180804201438/http://www.hbl.fi/artikel/det-finlandssvenska-teckenspraket-utrotningshotat/ | url-status=dead }} and it is spoken by around 300 people in total.{{Cite web |title=De finlandssvenska teckenspråkiga – en osynlig minoritet |url=https://svenska.yle.fi/a/7-10028081 |access-date=2024-04-29 |website=svenska.yle.fi |date=12 February 2023 |language=sv}}
History
The first deaf school in Finland was founded in 1846 by Carl Oscar Malm, who was deaf himself. Since the closure of the deaf school in Borgå in 1993, the future of the language has been uncertain. Many families with deaf children have emigrated to Sweden because of the decision. The language is considered severely endangered according to UNESCO's criteria.{{Cite web |title=Det finlandssvenska teckenspråket hotat |url=https://svenska.yle.fi/a/7-835848 |access-date=2024-04-29 |website=svenska.yle.fi |date=26 September 2014 |language=sv}}{{Cite web |title=Teckenspråk - Institutet för de inhemska språken |url=https://www.sprakinstitutet.fi/sv/om_sprak/sprak_i_finland/teckensprak |access-date=2024-04-29 |website=Kotimaisten kielten keskus |language=sv}}
Since 2015, Finland-Swedish and Finnish sign languages have been recognized as separate languages in Finnish legislation, as the new sign language act was adopted in the parliament. However, the scientific consensus has been since 2005 that the two sign languages are distinct.{{Cite web |title=Finlandssvenskt teckenspråk och språkets revitalisering |url=https://kuurojenliitto.fi/sv/finlandssvenskt-teckensprak-och-sprakets-revitalisering/ |access-date=2024-04-29 |website=Finlands Dövas Förbund |language=sv-SE}}
Differences from Finnish Sign
File:WIKITONGUES- Håkan signing Finland-Swedish Sign Language.webm|left]]
Through contacts between Swedish deaf individuals and Finland-Swedish deaf individuals, the Finland-Swedish sign language has borrowed many words from Swedish sign language. Additionally, the visual phonology with facial expressions follows the sounds of the Swedish language. {{Cite web |title=Suomen viittomakielet |url=https://www.kotus.fi/kielitieto/kielet/suomen_viittomakielet |access-date=2024-04-29 |website=Kotimaisten kielten keskus |language=fi}}{{Cite web |date=2011-10-03 |title=Suomen kaksi viittomakieltä |url=https://kielikello.fi/suomen-kaksi-viittomakielta/ |access-date=2024-04-29 |website=Kielikello |language=fi}}{{Swedish Sign Language family tree}}
References
{{Reflist}}
Further reading
- {{cite thesis | author=Hoyer, Karin | title=Dokumentation och beskrivning som språkplanering: Perspektiv från arbete med tre tecknade minoritetsspråk |degree=PhD | series=Nordica Helsingiensia, 29 | location=Helsingfors | publisher=Helsingfors universitet | year=2012 | issn=1795-4428 | isbn=978-952-10-7611-4 | language=sv |url=http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-10-7612-1 | trans-title=Language Documentation and Description as Language Planning: Working with Three Signed Minority Languages }}
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