Bouakako Sign Language

Bouakako Sign Language, known in French as la Langue des Signes Bouakako (LaSiBo), is an emerging village sign language in the village of Bouakako, 6 km to the west of the town of Hiré in southern Ivory Coast. LaSiBo has been used by several generations of deaf people, most of whom are related. Many of the hearing community, who speak Yocoboué Dida, know something of the language as well, and some are fluent. The vocabulary is somewhat variable between speakers, suggesting that the language is still quite young. Based on the age of the oldest deaf signer, it is probably at least 50 years old (as of 2016).[1]

LaSiBo is similar to Nanabin Sign Language in Ghana, Mardin Sign Language in Turkey and other young village sign language concentrated among one or a few families.

References

  1. ^ a b Angoua Jean-Jacques Tano, 2016. Etude d'une langue des signes émergente de Côte d'Ivoire: l'exemple de la Langue des Signes de Bouakako (LaSiBo). Doctoral dissertation, Leiden University.