Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 23, 2026

Plateau Sign Language

Plateau Sign Language, or Old Plateau Sign Language, is a poorly attested, extinct sign language historically used across the Columbian Plateau. The Crow Tribe introduced Plains Sign Talk, which replaced Plateau Sign Language among the eastern nations that used it, with western nations shifting instead to Chinook Jargon.

Last revised
Jun 23, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
197 w
Citations
2
Source
Plateau Sign Language
Langue des Signes du Plateau
Native toCanada, United States
RegionColumbia Plateau
EthnicityVarious First Nations and Native Americans of the Columbia Plateau region
Native speakers
1-2 rememberers (2017)1
contact pidgin
none
Language codes
ISO 639-3None (mis)
GlottologNone
Maps of the various sign languages of Turtle Island (North America), excluding Francosign languages. Plateau Sign Language is labelled in orange as "PSL"

Plateau Sign Language, or Old Plateau Sign Language, is a poorly attested, extinct sign language historically used across the Columbian Plateau. The Crow Tribe introduced Plains Sign Talk, which replaced Plateau Sign Language among the eastern nations that used it (the Coeur d’Alene, Sanpoil, Okanagan, Thompson, Lakes, Shuswap, and Colville), with western nations shifting instead to Chinook Jargon.2

Further reading

Further reading

References

References

  1. "Indigenous sign languages in Canada | Darin Flynn | University of Calgary". www.ucalgary.ca. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  2. Flynn, Darin (2017-08-16). "Indigenous sign languages in Canada". University of Calgary. Retrieved 2023-07-17.