Albanian Sign Language

SQK

vigorous

Alternate Names: AlbSL

Dialects: None known. Not similar to any other sign languages in the Balkan area.

Genealogy:

Deaf sign language

Demographics: 205,000 (Hoyer 2007).

Language Development: TV. Videos. Dictionary.

Writing System: Unwritten

Nation of Origin: Albania

Other Comments: AlbSL has strong influence from spoken Albanian, and makes heavy use of fingerspelling. After the collapse of communism, the language came into contact with International Sign and other sign languages, resulting in a lot of lexical borrowing (Hoyer 2007).