Zimbabwean Sign Language
Sign language · official in 1 country
Zimbabwe's constitution of 2013 made "sign language" official without naming a particular one, and the country has several. They grew up separately among deaf pupils at different schools for the deaf from the 1940s onward. Each school apparently has its own, distinct from the signing that deaf adults use in the community outside.
The language on record
- ISO 639-3
- ZIB
- Script
- Signed
- Family
- Sign language
- Official in
- 1 country
Where Zimbabwe Sign Language is official
Zimbabwe is the only country listed. Its constitution names sign language in general, which this entry stands for, and no single school variety.
Official beside Zimbabwe Sign Language
About Zimbabwe Sign Language
Why the constitution names no single variety
Little research has been done, so it remains unclear how many sign languages Zimbabwe has and how widely each is used. The 2013 Constitution put "sign language" among the official languages with no further detail. It requires the state to promote every official language equally, in schools and in government.
Which varieties Glottolog records
Glottolog, the language database kept by the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, lists seven varieties of indigenous Zimbabwean sign language. They are Manicaland Sign, Mashonaland Sign, Masvingo School Sign, Matabeleland Sign, Midlands Sign, Zimbabwe Community Sign and Zimbabwe School Sign. Masvingo School Sign is known to differ from the signing of the other schools. Some deaf Zimbabweans use American Sign Language, to an extent nobody has measured.
Common questions
Questions about Zimbabwe Sign Language
How many sign languages does Zimbabwe have?
Nobody knows for certain, because little research exists. Glottolog lists seven indigenous varieties, most named after a province or a school.
When did sign language become official in Zimbabwe?
With the Constitution of 2013, which lists sign language among the official languages without saying which one. Deaf schools had been producing their own sign languages since the 1940s.