Deafness in Tunisia
Estimates of the deaf population in Tunisia range from 40,000 to 60,000 people. These estimates indicate that deaf people make up between 0.3% to 0.5% of the population. The percent of deaf Tunisians can be much higher in isolated communities, ranging from 2% to 8%. The increase in prevalence is attributed to higher rates of intermarriage, geographic isolation, and social traditions. Tunisian Sign Language, abbreviated as TSL or LST, is the most commonly used sign language in Tunisia. As of 2008, TSL's user population is 21,000 signers. Language emergence Tunisian Sign Language (TSL) is made up of French Sign Language, Italian Sign Language, and Arab Unified Sign Language. The French colonization of Tunisia (1881 - 1956) influenced the oral languages of the hearing community and the sign language of the deaf community, with TSL heavily borrowing from French Sign Language (LSF). The prolonged contact between the French and Tunisian communities makes it hard for researchers to determine which signs are distinctively TSL or borrowed from LSF. Although there is limited research and documentation on TSL, researchers conclude that TSL is a distinct language due to its unique lexicon of sign that symbolize Tunisian traditions, history, and customs: "despite numerous borrowings,