Did you know Hanoi Sign Language is endangered?

ALSO KNOWN AS		ngôn ngữ ký hiệu Hà Nội, Ha Noi Sign Language, HNSL, NNKHHN, Vietnamese Sign Language, Northern Vietnamese Sign Language
CLASSIFICATION		Sign Language, Southeast Asian
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3
LANGUAGE CODE		hab
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS		"Ha Noi Sign Language (HNSL) initially developed out of a mixture of original sign languages in Ha Noi with Ho Chi Minh City Sign Language (HCMCSL) used at Lai Thieu School for deaf people in Binh Duong Province in Southern Viet Nam.... it is likely that only a few students from Ha Noi went to the Lai Thieu School and brought HCMCSL to Ha Noi. Even though, these bilingual deaf people were small in number, there were some effects on HNSL.... The first school for deaf people in Ha Noi was established in 1976. The 21-year separation of users of HNSL from users of HCMCSL, linked with the 21-year lack of educational opportunities for deaf people in Ha Noi also had effects on the history of HNSL and its relationship to HCMCSL." (Woodward et al., 2015)

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Information from: “Ha Noi Sign Language” (335–350 ch. 12) . Woodward, James, Nguyen Thi Hoa, Nguyen Hoang Lam, Nguyen Tuan Linh, Nguyen Ming Nhut, and Nguyen Tran Thuy Tien (2015) , Julie Bakken Jepsen, Goedele De Clerck, Sam Lutalo-Kiingi, and William B. McGregor · De Gruyter Mouton

Endangered

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available
39000
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
"Since there has never been a census of deaf people in Viet Nam, the real number of signers is unknown. However, some estimate of the number of signers can be made.... Using United Nations estimates of 1 person out of every 1,000 person born profoundly deaf or becoming profoundly deaf at an early age, there would be an estimate of 38,878 deaf people living in the area where HNSL is used. The estimated number of users of HNSL is up to 39,000 users."

DOMAINS OF USE
SPEAKER ATTITUDE: "These Deaf people, along with many others, prefer bilingualism to standardization. However, the Vietnamese government advocates standardization to bilingualism, and the Vietnamese government is attempting to create a “unified” sign language, something that many Deaf people do not want."
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT: peparing
OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY
LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS: "Currently the Vietnamese government is preparing a law for people with disabilities based on the UN Convention on the Rights of People With Disabilities. While it is known that sign language or sign languages will be mentioned in the law, but it is not know at this time what information about sign languages in Viet Nam will be included in the law."

PLACES: Vietnam

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Ha Noi and the provinces surrounding Ha Noi

Threatened

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available
19,000-38,000
Native speakers worldwide

DOMAINS OF USE
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT: The Vietnamese government is preparing a law for people with disabilities based on the UN Convention on the Rights of People With Disabilities. It is known that sign language or sign languages will be mentioned in the law, but no details are known.
LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS: Almost all schools in the northern part of Viet Nam are oral only or use some simultaneous communication. One program in Ha Noi at the National College of Education has indicated it will start using HNSL as it is used by fluent Deaf users

PLACES: Vietnam

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Hanoi and neighboring provinces

No estimate available
Native speakers worldwide

PLACES: Vietnam

Hanoi Sign Language

Language metadata

Language information by source

Endangered

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available

39000

Threatened

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available

19,000-38,000

No estimate available

Discussion

		2012	Personal Communication on sign languages								James Woodward	James Woodward. 2012. "Personal Communication on sign languages."		19,000-38,000	10000-99999			The Vietnamese government is preparing a law for people with disabilities based on the UN Convention on the Rights of People With Disabilities. It is known that sign language or sign languages will be mentioned in the law, but no details are known.		Almost all schools in the northern part of Viet Nam are oral only or use some simultaneous communication. One program in Ha Noi at the National College of Education has indicated it will start using HNSL as it is used by fluent Deaf users		Threatened (40 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	13	Vietnam	Hanoi and neighboring provinces
9781614518174		2015	Ha Noi Sign Language	Sign Languages of the World	335–350	Julie Bakken Jepsen, Goedele De Clerck, Sam Lutalo-Kiingi, and William B. McGregor	De Gruyter Mouton		12		Woodward, James, Nguyen Thi Hoa, Nguyen Hoang Lam, Nguyen Tuan Linh, Nguyen Ming Nhut, and Nguyen Tran Thuy Tien	Woodward, James, Nguyen Thi Hoa, Nguyen Hoang Lam, Nguyen Tuan Linh, Nguyen Ming Nhut, and Nguyen Tran Thuy Tien. (2015). Ha Noi Sign Language. In Julie Bakken Jepsen, Goedele De Clerck, Sam Lutalo-Kiingi, and William B. McGregor (eds.), Sign Languages of the World, pp. 335–350. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton.		39000	10000-99999	"Since there has never been a census of deaf people in Viet Nam, the real number of signers is unknown. However, some estimate of the number of signers can be made.... Using United Nations estimates of 1 person out of every 1,000 person born profoundly deaf or becoming profoundly deaf at an early age, there would be an estimate of 38,878 deaf people living in the area where HNSL is used. The estimated number of users of HNSL is up to 39,000 users."	Ho Chi Minh City Sign Language	peparing	"These Deaf people, along with many others, prefer bilingualism to standardization. However, the Vietnamese government advocates standardization to bilingualism, and the Vietnamese government is attempting to create a “unified” sign language, something that many Deaf people do not want."	"Currently the Vietnamese government is preparing a law for people with disabilities based on the UN Convention on the Rights of People With Disabilities. While it is known that sign language or sign languages will be mentioned in the law, but it is not know at this time what information about sign languages in Viet Nam will be included in the law."	some	Endangered (40 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	14	Vietnam	Ha Noi and the provinces surrounding Ha Noi
	16	2009	Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th Edition (2009)			M. Paul Lewis	SIL International	Dallas, TX		http://www.ethnologue.com/		Lewis, M. Paul (ed.). 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16 edn. http://www.ethnologue.com/home.asp. (15 February, 2011.)	ll_pub	No estimate available										Vietnam		21.033,105.849

Hanoi Sign Language

Language metadata

Language information by source

Endangered

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available

39000

Threatened

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available

19,000-38,000

No estimate available

Discussion

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