Types Of Sign Language Around The World – Full Guide
Many people assume there is one universal sign language used by Deaf communities everywhere. In reality, there are over 300 types of sign language around the world, each with its own vocabulary, grammar, and cultural identity. Just as spoken languages differ from country to country, sign languages have evolved independently within Deaf communities across the globe. This guide introduces the major types of sign language around the world and explains what makes each one distinct.
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Why Sign Languages Differ by Region
Sign languages develop naturally within Deaf communities, just as spoken languages develop within hearing communities. When Deaf people gather — in schools, clubs, organizations, or neighborhoods — they create and refine a shared visual language that meets their communication needs. Because these communities have historically been separated by geography, politics, and culture, the sign languages they developed are distinct from one another.
A common misconception is that sign languages are visual representations of the local spoken language. They are not. American Sign Language has more in common with French Sign Language than with British Sign Language, even though Americans and Britons share the English spoken language. This is because ASL evolved from the French Sign Language that Laurent Clerc and Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet brought to the United States in 1817.
Sign languages also differ in their grammatical structures. Some use a subject-verb-object word order, while others follow topic-comment structures. Facial expressions, body movement, and use of signing space all carry grammatical meaning, and these features vary significantly across languages. Understanding why these differences exist helps learners appreciate that each sign language is a complete, complex linguistic system — not a simplified version of a spoken language. Learning to understand these differences deepens your sign language knowledge.
Major Sign Language Families
Linguists group sign languages into families based on historical relationships, much like spoken language families. The largest and most well-documented family is the French Sign Language family, which includes American Sign Language, French Sign Language (LSF), Irish Sign Language, Russian Sign Language, and dozens of others. These languages trace their roots to the sign language used at the National Institute for the Deaf in Paris in the eighteenth century.
The British Sign Language family includes BSL, Australian Sign Language (Auslan), and New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL). These three languages share significant vocabulary because Auslan and NZSL were brought to their respective countries by British Deaf immigrants and educators. Despite geographic distances, signers of BSL, Auslan, and NZSL can often understand each other to a reasonable degree.
The German Sign Language family includes Deutsche Gebardensprache (DGS), Polish Sign Language, and Israeli Sign Language, among others. The Japanese Sign Language family encompasses Japanese Sign Language, Taiwanese Sign Language, and Korean Sign Language. The Arab Sign Language family covers many of the sign languages used across the Middle East and North Africa.
Some sign languages are isolates — they do not belong to any known family. These include languages like Adamorobe Sign Language in Ghana and Kata Kolok in Bali, which developed in communities with high rates of hereditary deafness independent of outside influence. Each of these represents a unique linguistic tradition shaped by its specific community.
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Notable Sign Languages You Should Know
American Sign Language is the most widely studied sign language in the world. Used primarily in the United States and anglophone Canada, ASL has an estimated 500,000 to 2 million users. It features a one-handed fingerspelling alphabet, extensive use of facial grammar, and a syntax that is distinct from English. ASL is taught at hundreds of universities and is recognized as a foreign language for academic credit in many states.
British Sign Language is the primary sign language of the United Kingdom’s Deaf community. BSL uses a two-handed fingerspelling alphabet and has its own unique grammar and vocabulary that differ significantly from ASL. In 2022, BSL was formally recognized as an official language of the United Kingdom through the BSL Act, a landmark achievement for the British Deaf community.
French Sign Language (Langue des Signes Française, or LSF) holds a special place in sign language history as the ancestor of the French Sign Language family. Developed at the Paris school for the Deaf in the eighteenth century, LSF influenced the development of dozens of sign languages worldwide. Today, LSF is used by approximately 100,000 Deaf people in France.
Japanese Sign Language (Nihon Shuwa) is used by the Deaf community in Japan. Unlike many sign languages influenced by European traditions, JSL developed independently and has its own grammar and vocabulary. Auslan, the sign language of Australia’s Deaf community, is closely related to BSL and shares many signs, though it has developed its own regional vocabulary and expressions over time. Chinese Sign Language, used across mainland China, is one of the most widely used sign languages by number of users, given China’s large population.
Lesser-Known and Indigenous Sign Languages
Beyond the major national sign languages, hundreds of lesser-known and indigenous sign languages exist around the world. Village sign languages develop in small, often isolated communities where hereditary deafness is common. Because a significant proportion of the community is Deaf, everyone — hearing and Deaf — learns the local sign language, creating a unique bilingual environment.
Kata Kolok is a village sign language used in Bengkala, a village in northern Bali where approximately 2% of the population is Deaf. The entire village, both hearing and Deaf members, uses Kata Kolok alongside spoken Balinese. Linguists have studied Kata Kolok extensively because it offers insights into how sign languages develop in naturally inclusive communities.
Al-Sayyid Bedouin Sign Language developed in a Bedouin community in the Negev Desert where hereditary deafness has been present for generations. Like Kata Kolok, this sign language is used by both hearing and Deaf community members and has its own grammar independent of other sign languages in the region.
Plains Indian Sign Language, also known as Hand Talk, was historically used by Indigenous peoples across the Great Plains of North America as a lingua franca between tribes that spoke different spoken languages. While its use has declined, revitalization efforts are underway among several Indigenous communities. These indigenous sign languages remind us that signed communication is not exclusively a Deaf phenomenon — it has served diverse people and purposes throughout history.
International Sign and Cross-Cultural Communication
International Sign, sometimes called IS or Gestuno, is a contact language used at international Deaf events like the World Federation of the Deaf congress, Deaflympics, and international conferences. Unlike a true language, International Sign is a negotiated communication system that draws on signs from multiple sign languages, along with mime, gesture, and shared visual conventions.
International Sign is not standardized and varies depending on who is using it. European Deaf people tend to draw more from their respective national sign languages, while attendees from other regions bring their own linguistic influences. Despite its variability, International Sign is remarkably effective for communication at international gatherings, and experienced IS users can communicate complex ideas across linguistic boundaries.
Cross-cultural communication between signers of different national sign languages is facilitated by several factors unique to visual languages. The iconic nature of many signs — where the sign visually resembles the concept it represents — creates a degree of mutual intelligibility that does not exist between unrelated spoken languages. Shared use of spatial grammar and visual conventions also helps signers from different backgrounds find common ground.
For learners interested in the types of sign language around the world, the diversity of signed languages offers a rich field of study. Whether you are learning ASL for local communication, studying BSL for a trip to the United Kingdom, or exploring International Sign for global Deaf community engagement, each language you encounter deepens your appreciation for the creativity, complexity, and cultural richness of visual communication. The World Federation of the Deaf continues to advocate for the recognition and preservation of all sign languages as part of the world’s linguistic heritage.
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