Sweden
National Sign Language
Svenskt teckenspråk, STS
In English: Swedish Sign Language
Language Status: 4 (Educational). Recognized language (2009, Languages Act, Article 9).
Legal Recognition
"Sign Language Legislation in the European Union", Wheatley, M., A. Pabsch., Edition II. Brussels, EUD, 2012:
"Swedish Sign Language is mentioned in the Language Act (Språklag) which contains provisions on Swedish, the national minority languages, and Swedish Sign language. Section 9 states:
"The public sector has a particular responsibility to protect and promote Swedish Sign Language."
Section 14 states that Deaf people have to be given the opportunity to "learn, develop, and use Swedish Sign Language".
Swedish Sign Language is also mentioned in educational legislation. The School Act (Skollag) for example includes sign language in education as a subject (Chapter 12(4)). (..)
Chapter 3(10) requires schools to arrange instruction in the mother tongue (including sign language) if there are at least three pupils in the school who choose the language. The Decree on Secondary Schools (Gymnasieförordning 1992:394) lists Swedish Sign Langauge as an optional foreign language for hearing students. (..)
Another decree mentioning sign language is the Decree on Governmental Allowance for Instruction in Sign Language for Certain Parents, which requires the government to pay for the teaching of sign language to parents whose chlidren require sign language (Section 1). Section 2 further describes the necessity of this provision:
'Teaching sign language to parents shall aim at giving parents competence to communicate fluently with their children in sign language and therefore promote the development of the children.'"
Number of Deaf Sign Language Users
8,000 (EUD website, December 2016)
National Sign Language (Research) Centres
Sign Language Section of the Department of Linguistics, Stockholm University
"The Sign Language Section has two kinds of courses in and about Swedish Sign Language; Swedish Sign Language (focusing on sign linguistics) and Swedish Sign Language for beginners. The Department also offers the only PhD program in Sign Language in Sweden."