User:RWanth/Providence Island Sign Language

'''[Rosie, do you have a citation for the first line of the original article? If so, please add that too!]'''

The island is about 15 square miles (39 km2) and the total population is about 5000, of which an unusual proportion are deaf (5 in 1,000).[3] The causes for the increased number of Deaf adults is linked to Waardenburg syndrome and non-syndromic autosomal recessive deafness. It is believed that the sign language emerged in the late 19th or early 20th century. '''[I'd keep this, but put it here. Do you have a citation for this?]''' As of 2007 there are 21 deaf people living on the island out of 3,400 residents.

'' Brief sociological studies have suggested that deaf people on the island are regarded as inferior in mental ability; hearing people do not discuss complex ideas with them, and they hold a marginalized social position. '' Hearing and Deaf adults use PISL and the general attitude towards Deaf adults is more positive than ableist. '' Perhaps consequently, PISL is rather simplistic in comparison to other sign languages. Another possibility for the state of the language is that few deaf people communicate directly, meaning that almost all signing is mediated by the hearing population. [4]'' Due to the small isolated community that uses PISL, the sign can be very context based including pointing geographically to a location when discussing it.