Did you know Jamaican Country Sign Language is threatened?

ALSO KNOWN AS		Konchri Sain, Country Sign
CLASSIFICATION		Sign Language, Mexican, Central American, or Caribbean
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3
LANGUAGE CODE		jcs
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search

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Information from: “Personal Communication on sign languages” . James Woodward (2012)

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
2,500
Native speakers worldwide

PLACES: Jamaica

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: rural areas in Jamaica

Endangered

60 percent certain, based on the evidence available
40
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
This number refers only to the adults who use JCS. While some sources list 2,500, that number refers to the number of deaf children in Jamaica, as opposed to the number of people who actually use JCS. Most children use both JCS and Jamaican Sign Language (which is 75%% ASL). Some also use Signed English.

DATE OF INFO: 2009

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

"Country Sign users have taught their sign language to the next generation for years (Loupe 2009) but the recent establishment of Maranatha School for the Deaf in the area, which uses JSL, has led to a diminishing use of Country Sign among the younger generation (Wilson 2005)."

SPEAKER ATTITUDE

Country Sign users see their sign language as beautiful and have positive attitudes toward their unique language and community.

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Jamaican Sign Language; ASL; Signed English

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS

Similar to other village sign language situations, Country Sign is used not only by deaf people but also by many hearing people in the St. Elizabeth parish.

PLACES: Jamaica

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Primarily in the St. Elizabeth parish

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
2,500
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
Approximately 2,500 Deaf children in Jamaica (2004 M. Kimball)

MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
"KS [Konchri Sain] is now an endangered language that coexists alongside two other signed communication systems which carry far more prestige in the community."

MORE ON VITALITY

"If transmission of this language is sustained, it may result in the younger generation using KS for daily interaction"

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Jamaican Sign Language
Signed English
Patwa (Jamaican Creole)
English

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS

"[In the past] all persons in the area, both hearing and Deaf, used KS [Konchri Sain]. Nowadays, the hearing people who sign mainly use JSL [Jamaican Sign Language]. KS is only used with persons who are monolingual in KS."

PLACES: Jamaica

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: "An indigenous sign language native to rural Southeastern Jamaica... [Konchri Sain] originated in Top Hill."

		2012	Personal Communication on sign languages								James Woodward	James Woodward. 2012. "Personal Communication on sign languages."		2,500		1000-9999					Threatened (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)			Jamaica	rural areas in Jamaica
SIL Electronic Survey Report		2011	A Sociolinguistic Profile of the Jamaican Deaf Community		Suggestion provided by website user Betram Gayle				SIL International	http://www-01.sil.org/SILESR/2011/silesr2011-026.pdf	Elizabeth Parks and Christina Epley and Jason Parks	Parks, Elizabeth., Epley, Christina., et al (2011). A Sociolinguistic Profile of the Jamaican Deaf Community. SIL International. SIL Electronic Survey		40	2009	10-99	This number refers only to the adults who use JCS. While some sources list 2,500, that number refers to the number of deaf children in Jamaica, as opposed to the number of people who actually use JCS. Most children use both JCS and Jamaican Sign Language (which is 75%% ASL). Some also use Signed English.	Jamaican Sign Language; ASL; Signed English	Country Sign users see their sign language as beautiful and have positive attitudes toward their unique language and community.	Similar to other village sign language situations, Country Sign is used not only by deaf people but also by many hearing people in the St. Elizabeth parish.	Endangered (60 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	12	"Country Sign users have taught their sign language to the next generation for years (Loupe 2009) but the recent establishment of Maranatha School for the Deaf in the area, which uses JSL, has led to a diminishing use of Country Sign among the younger generation (Wilson 2005)."	Jamaica	Primarily in the St. Elizabeth parish
			Glottolog							http://www.glottolog.org/glottolog/		"Glottolog." Online: http://www.glottolog.org/glottolog/.														18.00, -76.93
		2012	Colour signs in two indigenous sign languages	Sign Languages in Village Communities		Ulrike Zeshan and Connie de Vos	de Gruyter	Nijmegen			Dany Adone and Anastasia Bauer and Keren Cumberbatch and Elaine L. Maypilama	Dany Adone, Anastasia Bauer, Keren Cumberbatch and Elaine L. Maypilama. 2012. "Colour Signs in Two Indigenous Sign Languages." In Sign Languages in Village Communities, edited by Ulrike Zeshan and Connie de Vos. de Gruyter.					"KS [Konchri Sain] is now an endangered language that coexists alongside two other signed communication systems which carry far more prestige in the community."	Jamaican Sign Language, Signed English, Patwa (Jamaican Creole), English		"[In the past] all persons in the area, both hearing and Deaf, used KS [Konchri Sain]. Nowadays, the hearing people who sign mainly use JSL [Jamaican Sign Language]. KS is only used with persons who are monolingual in KS."			"If transmission of this language is sustained, it may result in the younger generation using KS for daily interaction"	Jamaica	"An indigenous sign language native to rural Southeastern Jamaica... [Konchri Sain] originated in Top Hill."	17.891695, -77.644483
	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	2,500		1000-9999	Approximately 2,500 Deaf children in Jamaica (2004 M. Kimball)				Threatened (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)

Jamaican Country Sign Language

Language metadata

Language information by source

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

2,500

Endangered

60 percent certain, based on the evidence available

40

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

2,500

Discussion

Jamaican Country Sign Language

Language metadata

Language information by source

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

2,500

Endangered

60 percent certain, based on the evidence available

40

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

2,500

Discussion

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