Penang Sign Language

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A language of Malaysia

ISO 639-3
psg
User Population

1,000, decreasing. 150 monolinguals.

Location

Pulau Pinang: scattered.

Language Status

8a (Moribund).

Classification
Sign language, Deaf community sign language
Language Use

Home. Older adults only. Neutral attitudes. Shifted to Malaysian Sign Language [xml]. Many also use English [eng], in written form. Used as L2 by Selangor Sign Language [kgi].

Language Development

Literacy rate in L2: Up to 50% in English [eng].

Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Penang Sign Language
Writing

Unwritten [Qaax].

Other Comments

Deaf school established in Penang in 1954, with only oral method. Penang Sign Language evolved outside the classroom. Use declined after introduction of ASL [ase] to the country in the early 1960s, and the school in 1976 (Hurlbut 2003).