Abstract:The emergence of a national sign language in Trinidad and Tobago can be traced back to the first deaf school, which was opened in the 1940s. This article describes some of the ways in which signing in the country has been shaped by changing educational practices, and complex, multi-modal language contact. At various stages, Trinidad and Tobago Sign Language has been influenced by BSL, the ASL manual alphabet, ASL, English, and Trinidad English Creole. The article traces the emergence of new forms, the modification of existing ones, and the disappearance of others. It argues that understanding the emergence of the language can help clarify issues of variation, and correct misrepresentations that erase important aspects of the history of the Trinbagonian Deaf community.

中文翻译：

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特立尼达和多巴哥的语言接触和手语历史

摘要：特立尼达和多巴哥民族手语的出现可以追溯到 1940 年代开设的第一所聋人学校。本文描述了通过不断变化的教育实践和复杂的多模式语言接触在该国塑造手语的一些方式。在各个阶段，特立尼达和多巴哥手语都受到 BSL、ASL 手工字母表、ASL、英语和特立尼达英语克里奥尔语的影响。文章追溯了新形式的出现、现有形式的修改以及其他形式的消失。它认为，理解语言的出现有助于澄清变异问题，并纠正抹杀特林巴哥尼亚聋人社区历史重要方面的误传。