Francophone African Sign Language ('''', or LSAF) is the variety, or varieties, of
American Sign Language (ASL) used in several francophone countries of Africa. Education for the deaf in these countries is based on ASL and written
French; there is therefore a French influence on the language of the classroom. With the exception of
Algerian Sign Language, the sign languages of
francophone Africa are unrelated to
French Sign Language, except indirectly through their derivation from ASL. This is because most schools for the deaf in the region were founded by the American missionary
Andrew Foster or by his students, starting in 1974.
Chadian Sign Language may be closest to
Nigerian Sign Language. A few countries have languages unrelated to either:
Madagascar Sign Language derives from Norwegian SL, and
Tunisian Sign Language is apparently a language isolate. The relationship of LSAF to standard American Sign Language has not been systematically assessed. For instance, Gabonese Sign Language has diverged and may be a separate language, and Togo Sign Language is not mutually intelligible with standard American Sign Language.
Characteristics As in other African derivations of ASL, the language has been affected by local gestures and conventions. This is especially true of taboo topics such as sex. As an example of the French influence on francophone ASL, the word for 'she' is made by pointing with an L-shaped hand, rather than with a simple index finger, because the name of the letter el is homonymous with ('she') in French. It is not clear to what extent such influence continues outside the classroom.
Location Francophone African countries which use ASL as the language of Deaf instruction are: •
Senegal •
Mauritania •
Mali •
Guinea •
Ivory Coast •
Burkina Faso •
Togo •
Benin •
Niger •
Chad (from
Nigeria) •
Central African Republic •
Gabon •
Republic of Congo (
Brazzaville; from Nigeria) •
Democratic Republic of Congo (
Kinshasa;
French Sign Language is also used) •
Burundi •
Morocco ==Haitian Sign Language==