Afghan Sign Language

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Afghan Sign Language
Jalalabad Sign Language
Native toAfghanistan
Native speakers
1,000 (2012)[1]
language isolate
Language codes
ISO 639-3afg
Glottologafgh1239

Afghan Sign Language is the deaf sign language of Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan, possibly with some presence in Kabul. It has been encouraged in the country's only school for the deaf, and derives from the Deaf-community sign language of Jalalabad, but it's not known what connection it may have, if any, with the sign languages of other cities with established deaf populations, which are principally Kabul, Mazar-e Sharif, Herat, and Kandahar. American Sign Language was used in the Jalalabad school for a few years, and so may have had some influence on Afghan Sign.[2]

References[]

  1. ^ Afghan Sign Language at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ ISO 639-3 Registration Authority: Request for New Language Code Element in ISO 639-3

Relevant literature[]

  • Power, Justin. 2014. Handshapes in Afghan Sign Language. MA thesis, University of North Dakota. Downloadable PDF copy
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