MultiTree:

Name: Martha's Vineyard Sign Language Type: Language Alternate Name: MVSL Code: mre Code Standard: ISO 639-3 Documentation: LINGUIST List Families: Sign Languages Parent Subgroup: North American Deaf Sign Languages; North American Sign Language (ndsl) Brief Description: This early sign language was probably based on a regional one in the Weald of Kent in England (called Old Kent Sign Language), from which the ancestors of some of the settlers of Martha's Vineyard had come. French Sign Language was introduced to Martha's Vineyard in 1817, and blended with it. MVSL was one of the sources for American Sign Language (ASL), but never became identical to it. Remarkably, this language was used by both deaf and hearing people, since the incidence of deafness on Martha's Vineyard was so high, and before the early 20th century virtually everyone knew the language to some degree. 1692 - 1952 AD.

Endangerment Status

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Ethnologue Status: Extinct Sutherland's Red List: Not listed