Azerbaijani Sign Language

Sign language · official in 1 country

Azərbaycan işarət dili, abbreviated AİD and also called Azərbaycan jest dili, is the sign language of the deaf community in Azerbaijan. It is based on Russian Sign Language and has a grammar of its own, separate from the spoken languages of the region. Its official standing is disputed between sources, and it has no language code.

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The language on record

Own name
Azərbaycan işarət dili
Script
Signed
Family
Sign language
Official in
1 country
Azerbaijan

Where Azerbaijani Sign Language is official

Azerbaijan, on the strength of its country record. The language article says the state has not recognised AİD as an official language, so this listing is the record's claim.

Official beside Azerbaijani Sign Language

About Azerbaijani Sign Language

What AİD grew out of

AİD is based on Russian Sign Language. Like any sign language it has its own grammar, which differs from that of Azerbaijani and the other spoken languages around it. Two names are in use in Azerbaijani, işarət dili and jest dili, and each has its abbreviation, AİD and AzJD.

Where deaf pupils in Azerbaijan are taught

Two Republican Special Boarding Schools in Azerbaijan serve only members of the deaf community.

Why its official status is in doubt

The country record for Azerbaijan names AİD among its official languages, and that record is what places it on this page. The Wikipedia article on the language says the opposite: Azerbaijan has not recognised it as an official language, and it has no language codes. No ISO 639 code is on the language file either. Azerbaijan's deaf community belongs to the World Deaf Federation regardless. At international conferences and meetings, the article reports, Russian Sign Language is used in place of AİD.

Common questions

Questions about Azerbaijani Sign Language

Does Azerbaijani Sign Language have an ISO code?

No. Neither an ISO 639-1 nor an ISO 639-3 code has been assigned.

Which sign language do deaf Azerbaijanis use at international meetings?

Russian Sign Language, on which AİD is based, is used at international conferences and meetings in place of Azerbaijani Sign Language, even though the country's deaf community is a member of the World Deaf Federation.