Quebec Sign Language

language
name=Quebec Sign Language
nativename=Langue des signes québécoise, "LSQ"
states=Canada
region=Concentrated in Quebec, but with signers in other Canadian urban centres
signers=50,000–60,000 (2000 SIL)
family=Related to both French Sign Language and American Sign Language.
iso2=sgn-CA-QC
iso3=fcs

Quebec Sign Language, known in French as Langue des signes québécoise (LSQ), is a sign language used in Canada. Most LSQ users are located in Quebec, but a few are scattered in major cities in the rest of the country.

LSQ is closely related to both American Sign Language and French Sign Language. Due to segregation by gender in deaf education, males and females use slightly different forms of LSQ. The female form is influenced more by ASL while the male form is more influenced by LSF. Although ASL is used in Anglophone parts of Quebec, it is unusual for a deaf child to learn both ASL and LSQ.

Although approximately 10% of the population of Quebec is deaf or hearing impaired, it is estimated that only 50,000 to 60,000 children use LSQ as their native language. Fact|date=November 2007

During televised proceedings of the Canadian House of Commons, an LSQ interpretation of what is being said can usually be seen at the top-right corner of the screen.

External links

* [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=fcs Quebec Sign Language] at Ethnologue
* [http://www.surdite.org/ La surdité au Québec] fr icon