泰國手語

泰國手語（Thai Sign Language，縮寫為TSL）或稱為現代標準泰國手語（Modern Standard Thai Sign Language，縮寫為MSTSL），是泰國聾人社群的通用手語，在泰國大部分地區被預估有5.6萬名聾人（約佔20%）在學校使用。 Reilly, Charles & Suvannus, Sathaporn (1999). Education of deaf people in the kingdom of Thailand. In Brelje, H.William (ed.) (1999). Global perspectives on education of the deaf in selected countries. Hillsboro, OR: Butte. pp. 367–82. NB. This is a prevalence estimate 1/1000 people as deaf. Based on 2007 figures of Thailand's population, an estimate of 67,000 deaf people is more accurate. Furthermore, hearing-speaking people are beginning to learn and use the Thai Sign Language.

泰國手語與美國手語（American Sign Language，縮寫為ASL）有關，並同屬一個語系。 Woodward, James C. (1996). Modern Standard Thai Sign Language, influence from ASL, and its relationship to original Thai sign varieties. Sign Language Studies 92:227–52. (see p 245)這層關聯是起因於20世紀50年代，當時美國培訓的泰國教育工作者在將美國手語引入泰國聾校，並與至少兩種本土手語，老曼谷手語及清邁手語，發生語言接觸並進一步克里奧爾化Suvannus, Sathaporn (1987). Thailand. In Van Cleve, 282–84. In: Van Cleve, John V. (1987) (ed.) Gallaudet encyclopedia of deafness and deaf people. Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press.。這些原始手語的發源地可能是在市鎮和城區，因為在這些地方聾人社群有較多的機會可以相互交流。這些過去的手語現在被認為是瀕危語言，只有年長的使用者記得，而不再用於日常對話。Woodward (1997). Sign languages and deaf identities in Thailand and Vietnam. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association, Washington, DC, November.這些較早的變體可能與越南和寮國手語有關。Ethnologue report on Chiang Mai Sign Language . See also: Woodward, James (2000). Sign languages and sign language families in Thailand and Viet Nam, in Emmorey, Karen, and Harlan Lane, eds., The signs of language revisited: an anthology to honor Ursula Bellugi and Edward Klima. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum, p.23-47

在1999年8月，由泰國教育部長代表皇家泰國政府簽署的決議中，泰國手語被確立為「泰國聾人的國家語言」。與許多手語一樣，泰國手語的傳承方式主要見於父母為聾人的家庭和聾人學校中。有關聾人兒童的語言教學和文化融入的豐富過程在泰國住宿式聾人學校中多有文件和照片紀錄。 Reilly, Charles and Reilly, Nipapon (2005). The Rising of Lotus Flowers: The Self-Education of Deaf Children in Thai Boarding Schools. Washington, D.C.: Gallaudet University Press.

在泰國還存在其他即將消亡的手語，例如班科手語（Ban Khor Sign Language）。

 參見 
手語
法國手語系
美國手語

 參考資料 

 延伸閱讀 

 Nonaka, Angela M. (2004). The forgotten endangered languages: Lessons on the importance of remembering from Thailand's Ban Khor Sign Language. In: Language in Society 33:5 (2004) pp. 737–768
 Suwanarat, M., C. Reilly, O. Wrigley, A. Ratanasint, and L. Anderson (1986). The Thai Sign Language dictionary. Bangkok: National Association of the Deaf in Thailand.
 Suwanarat, M., O. Wrigley, and L. Anderson.(1990). The Thai Sign Language dictionary, Revised and expanded ed. Bangkok: National Association of the Deaf in Thailand.
 Wallace, Cassie. 2019. "Spatial Relations along the In-On Continuum in Thai Sign Language." Journal of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society 12.1:163-178. Online access

 外部連結 

 Survey report of Thai sign languages  

Category:泰國語言
Category:美国手语
Category:泰國文化