| Providence Island Sign Language | |
|---|---|
| Signed in | Colombia |
| Region | Providence Island |
| Native signers | 19 deaf signers, but known by the majority of the 2,500–3000 population (date missing) |
| Language family | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | prz |
Providence Island Sign Language (also known as "Providencia Sign Language") is the sign language used by the deaf community on the small island community of Providence Island in the Western Caribbean, off the coast of Nicaragua but belonging to Colombia. The island is about 15 square miles (39 km2) and the total population is about 2,500, of which a large number are deaf.
It is believed that the sign language emerged in the late 19th or early 20th century. Brief sociological studies have suggested that deaf people on the island are not regarded as inferior in the areas of marriage, mental ability, occupations, and social integration.