Iranian Sign Language

A language of Iran

ISO 639: psc
Alternate Names: Persian Sign Language, ZEI, Zaban Eshareh Irani
Population: 250,000 (2021 DBS/DOOR/SIL). Estimated 165,000–330,000 deaf signers, assuming 0.2%–0.4% of total population. Ethnic population: 3,000,000 (2019). Total deaf and hard of hearing population reported to be as high as 3,000,000 (Sanjabi et al 2016).
Location:: Scattered.
Language Status: 6a (Vigorous).
Classification: Sign language, Deaf community sign language
Typology: SOV; one-handed fingerspelling system representing written Farsi (Arabic script).
Language Use: Vigorous. Used by all. Some also use Iranian Persian [pes].
Language Development: Dictionary.
Other Comments: First school for deaf children founded in 1920s by Jabbar Baghcheban, who introduced a system for representing the sounds of Farsi manually in oralist education, which eventually was repurposed and adapted as a fingerspelling system representing written Farsi. Significant dialect differences between those born before or after the 1979 Iranian revolution, with greater use of fingerspelling in the older generation (Sanjabi et al 2016).

Location: Scattered.