Great Britain, Northern Ireland, South Africa, Newfoundland and Labrador, Maritimes, Australia and New Zealand
Linguistic classification
One of the world's sign language families
Subdivisions
British Sign
Auslan
New Zealand Sign
South African Sign
Maritime Sign
Northern Ireland Sign
PNG Sign
?Swedish Sign
Glottolog
bsli1234
Areas where BANZSL languages are signed
Areas where a BANZSL language is fading from use
British, Australian and New Zealand Sign Language (BANZSL) is the language of which British Sign Language (BSL), Auslan and New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) may be considered dialects. These three languages may be considered dialects of a single language (BANZSL) due to their use of the same grammar and manual alphabet and the high degree of lexical overlap. The term BANZSL was coined by Trevor Johnston and Adam Schembri.
BSL, Auslan and NZSL all have their roots in a deaf sign language used in Britain during the 19th century.
American Sign Language and BANZSL are unrelated sign languages. However, there is still significant overlap in vocabulary, probably due largely to relatively recent borrowing of lexicon by signers of all three dialects of BANZSL, with many younger signers unaware which signs are recent imports.
Between Auslan, BSL and NZSL, 82% of signs are identical (per Swadesh lists). When considering identical as well as similar or related signs there are 98% cognate signs between the languages. By comparison, ASL and BANZSL have only 31% signs identical, or 44% cognate.
According to Henri Wittmann (1991), Swedish Sign Language also descends from BSL. From Swedish SL arose Portuguese Sign Language and Finnish Sign Language, the latter with local admixture; Danish Sign Language is largely mutually intelligible with Swedish SL, though Wittmann places it in the French Sign Language family.
British, Australian and New Zealand Sign Language (BANZSL) is the language of which British Sign Language (BSL), Auslan and New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL)...
Maritime Sign Language in various ways, including the fact that the original BANZSL two-handed manual alphabet is no longer used in the Maritimes: 8, 9, 75...
considered a dialect of British, Australian and New Zealand Sign Language (BANZSL). There are 62.5% similarities found in British Sign Language and NZSL,...
language (BANZSL) due to their use of the same grammar and manual alphabet and the high degree of lexical sharing (overlap of signs). The term BANZSL was coined...
BSL, Auslan and NZSL are usually considered to be a language known as BANZSL. Maritime Sign Language and South African Sign Language are also related...
have descended from the same parent language, and together comprise the BANZSL language family. Auslan has also been influenced by Irish Sign Language...
[Lyons Sign Language] ever existed' and retired it from Ethnologue in 2017. BANZSL Lloyd Anderson & David Peterson, 1979, A comparison of some American, British...
influence the vocabulary and grammar of MSL; for example, because the original BANZSL two-handed manual alphabet is no longer used in the Maritimes: 8, 9, 75...
alphabet which is very different from the two-handed alphabets used in the BANZSL sign languages. It also uses the tongue in certain phrases. There is little...
Native to South Africa Native speakers 235,000 (2011 census) Language family BANZSL South African Sign Language Language codes ISO 639-3 sfs Glottolog sout1404...
Language Black American Sign Language Protactile Puerto Rican Sign Language BANZSL Samoan Sign Language Kentish Martha's Vineyard Sign Language Isolates Sandy...
Language Black American Sign Language Protactile Puerto Rican Sign Language BANZSL Samoan Sign Language Kentish Martha's Vineyard Sign Language Isolates Sandy...
Language Black American Sign Language Protactile Puerto Rican Sign Language BANZSL Samoan Sign Language Kentish Martha's Vineyard Sign Language Isolates Sandy...
Dutch Sign Language, Flemish Sign Language, and Italian Sign Language. BANZSL languages, including British Sign Language (BSL), New Zealand Sign Language...
Language Black American Sign Language Protactile Puerto Rican Sign Language BANZSL Samoan Sign Language Kentish Martha's Vineyard Sign Language Isolates Sandy...
Sign Language family Native to Germany 80,000 (2014) British Sign Language BANZSL Native to United Kingdom. 80,000 (2014) Malaysian Sign Language French:...
Language Black American Sign Language Protactile Puerto Rican Sign Language BANZSL Samoan Sign Language Kentish Martha's Vineyard Sign Language Isolates Sandy...
preferred language of 3,500 in Northern Ireland (2007) Language family BANZSL Family. Emerging from British, Irish, and American Sign. Northern Ireland...
Language Black American Sign Language Protactile Puerto Rican Sign Language BANZSL Samoan Sign Language Kentish Martha's Vineyard Sign Language Isolates Sandy...
Language Black American Sign Language Protactile Puerto Rican Sign Language BANZSL Samoan Sign Language Kentish Martha's Vineyard Sign Language Isolates Sandy...
Language Black American Sign Language Protactile Puerto Rican Sign Language BANZSL Samoan Sign Language Kentish Martha's Vineyard Sign Language Isolates Sandy...
Language Black American Sign Language Protactile Puerto Rican Sign Language BANZSL Samoan Sign Language Kentish Martha's Vineyard Sign Language Isolates Sandy...
Language Black American Sign Language Protactile Puerto Rican Sign Language BANZSL Samoan Sign Language Kentish Martha's Vineyard Sign Language Isolates Sandy...
Language Black American Sign Language Protactile Puerto Rican Sign Language BANZSL Samoan Sign Language Kentish Martha's Vineyard Sign Language Isolates Sandy...
Language Black American Sign Language Protactile Puerto Rican Sign Language BANZSL Samoan Sign Language Kentish Martha's Vineyard Sign Language Isolates Sandy...
Language Black American Sign Language Protactile Puerto Rican Sign Language BANZSL Samoan Sign Language Kentish Martha's Vineyard Sign Language Isolates Sandy...
As a Francosign language, AISL is quite distinct from Auslan and other Banzsl languages, though it is also notably unrelated neither to Gaeilge nor to...
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