The workers at Mikomax use Polish Sign Language (PJM). It is distinct from spoken Polish and has a fascinating history. PJM is of particular interest to Haworth because our team in Lodz, Poland includes several dozen PJM speakers. Mikomax has included Deaf workers for over thirty years.
PJM seems to use ‘a distinctive one-handed manual alphabet based on’ Old French Sign Language (VLSF) – an enigmatic language prevalent in the deaf community of 18th century Paris. Though scant records of it now remain, VLSF formed the roots of modern French Sign Language, which influenced many other sign languages across the world – including the American, Brazilian and Russian Sign Languages.
Polish Sign Language is not only linked to Old and modern forms of French Sign Language; it seems the language is also related to the Russian and German Sign Languages. This is partly due to common links to the French and partly due to the time of partitions, when Poland disappeared from the map for over a hundred years.
While researching, I encountered the verbs ‘speak’, ‘use’, and ‘sign’ to describe communicating in sign language. The verb chosen appears to depend on the person or the community – but note that there is an ongoing discussion about this, and each verb has implications.
For some in the Deaf community, using the verb ‘speak’ affirms that sign languages are not ‘different’ from oral languages – a perception that has caused exclusion and harm in the past.
I found, anecdotally, a preference for ‘speak’ from writers on online forums. I found a mix of other preferences used by various relevant sources:
- In her book Sign Language in Indo-Pakistan, the Professor of Sign Language at the University of Central Lancashire in the UK, Ulrike Zeshan, uses the word ‘speakers’ to describe people communicating in sign language.
- The Singapore Association for the Deaf often writes ‘use’ or ‘users’. Their FAQ is a great resource for Singapore Sign Language.
- SignHealth, a UK charity, writes ‘people who use British Sign Language’.
Following Zeshan and the Singapore and UK organisations, I generally favoured ‘use’ or ‘speak’ in this article.
No – there is not one universal sign language. Just as with spoken languages, sign languages are generally not mutually intelligible or universal, though there are often shared roots. And just like spoken languages, sign languages are usually tied to a nation or community.
To oversimplify: just as speakers of German and Chinese can’t understand each other, so speakers of German Sign Language and Chinese Sign Language will not understand each other. (The reality is a little more complicated – see next question for more details.)
Writer’s note: this question regards usage in English.
You’ll find a good resource with this answer from SignHealth, the deaf health charity in the UK. SignHealth uses a capital D to refer to people who have been deaf their entire lives. In that link, they also explain their use of ‘hard of hearing’ and ‘hearing impaired’ – it is worth a read. Elsewhere, SignHealth writes: ‘“Deaf” with an uppercase “D” is used to indicate that SignHealth’s focus will continue to be to work with Deaf people who use British Sign Language and it signals our respect for Deaf people and Deaf culture’.
The Singapore Association for the Deaf generally uses a capital D; an example can be found on their Deaf Culture and Community page.
Following the above two examples, I generally use a capital D in this article (originally written in English; other languages may have different approaches).
Sign language is not universal. Even sign languages with shared roots are generally not mutually intelligible. And even within one sign language group, there may be multiple systems or dialects. Just as with spoken languages, there are often regional differences in sign languages.
There are shared roots between many sign languages of the world; for example, Polish Sign Language and American Sign Language are not mutually intelligible, but both appear to be linked in some respect to French Sign Language. And Old French Sign Language, though scant records of it remain, appears to have intriguing links to many sign languages used today.
Below you’ll find a bird’s eye view of sign languages across the world, organised alphabetically by region. This is by no means extensive; I aimed to cover the countries where most of our readers are located. (You may find Nicaragua to be a slight exception to that rule – but as you’ll see, there’s good reason for its inclusion.)
There are many other fascinating sign languages – what is most common in your area?
Libras (LSB) is the predominant sign language in Brazil. It has been linked to French Sign Language and Portuguese Sign Language.
Mexican Sign Language (LSM) is the predominant sign language in Mexico. As in the many cases you’ll see on this FAQ, LSM is linked with – but not mutually intelligible to – French Sign Language and American Sign Language. Structurally, LSM is quite different from spoken Spanish. LSM is yet another language with potential links to the enigmatic Old French Sign Language.
Nicaraguan Sign Language (ISN) is fascinating. (I use that word a lot in this FAQ, but it is especially true here.) ISN is ‘of particular interest to linguists’ because it ‘developed spontaneously among deaf schoolchildren in a number of schools in Nicaragua in the 1980s’. This period saw the first schools for deaf children established – and this community became ‘fertile ground’ for the ‘birth of a new language’.
American Sign Language (ASL) is used in the United States and most of English-speaking Canada. (Quebec Sign Language is used in Quebec.) ASL has influenced sign languages in much of West Africa (including Nigeria and Ghana), the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia. As you’ll see with many sign languages, ASL is generally not mutually intelligible with the sign languages of other oral English-speaking countries like the UK or Australia. As an example of regional differences in signing, here’s an interesting line from the Wikipedia page: ‘Signers from the South tend to sign with more flow and ease. Native signers from New York have been reported as signing comparatively quicker and sharper. Sign production of native Californian signers has also been reported as being fast.’
Auslan is used in Australia. Auslan is part of the British, Australian and New Zealand Sign Language (BANZSL), though it is also related to the Irish and American Sign Languages.
New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL, Maori te reo Turi) is the predominant sign language in NZ. As part of BANZSL, NZSL shares ’62.5% similarities’ with BSL.
There are two sign language dialects used in mainland China:
Southern Chinese Sign Language is influenced by French Sign Language; it formed in Shanghai in a school founded by French Catholic missionaries. This is sometimes called ‘Shanghainese Sign Language’.
Northern Chinese Sign Language was influenced by American Sign Language; it formed in a school based in Yantai. CSL also shares some interesting overlaps with British Sign Language.
Hong Kong Sign Language, used in Hong Kong and Macao, was originally based on Southern CSL, but is now an independent, mutually unintelligible language from Chinese Sign Language.
Japanese Sign Language in Japan is ‘distinct from, but influenced by’ spoken Japanese. The family includes the Korean and Taiwanese Sign Languages.
Indonesian Sign Language (BISINDO) refers to a group of sign languages used in Indonesia – languages that are not necessarily mutually intelligible. The Jakartan and Yogyakartan sign dialects, while ‘related’, are ‘grammatically distinct and apparently diverging’.
Malaysian Sign Language (BIM) has been officially recognised since 2008; the language varies by state.
…is one of the most fascinating examples on this list, for Singapore Sign Language (SgSL) is as diverse as Singapore. SgSL is ‘influenced by Shanghainese Sign Language, American Sign Language, Signing Exact English and locally developed signs’.
Indo-Pakistani Sign Language is used in India and Pakistan. ‘As of 2021, it is the most used sign language in the world’.
The Japanese Sign Language family includes Korean Sign Language – one of two official languages in South Korea, alongside spoken Korean.
Filipino Sign Language (FSL) was influenced by American Sign Language but differs in key ways today. FSL can vary regionally across the many islands of the Philippines.
Taiwanese Sign Language is also part of the Japanese Sign Language family; it is distinct from the Chinese or Hong Kong sign languages.
Thai Sign Language (TSL) belongs to the American Sign Language family.
French Sign Language (LSF) has a rich history, impacting sign languages across the world – including (among others) the Polish, American, Russian, Southern Chinese, Brazilian, Irish and Dutch ign languages. The architect of LSF, Charles-Michel de l’Epee, is referred to as ‘the Father of the Deaf’. After serendipitously meeting two young deaf sisters, L’Epee committed himself to teaching sign language. He established the ‘world’s first free school for the deaf’ in 1760. His work influenced sign language education across the globe.
German Sign Language (DGS) is used in Germany. As an example of the extent to which sign languages can vary from their spoken counterparts, see this line from the DGS Wikipedia page: ‘While spoken German builds sentences following a subject – verb – object pattern, German Sign Language uses a subject – object – verb strategy.’
Hungarian Sign Language contains ‘seven dialects’ and as of 2020 is offered ‘on equal footing with spoken Hungarian’ on exams, easing accessibility and expanding inclusion for Deaf children.
Irish Sign Language (ISL) is used in Ireland. (BSL is used alongside ISL in Northern Ireland.) Interestingly, ISL is ‘more closely related to French Sign Language (LSF) than to BSL’.
Italian Sign Language (LIS) is the predominant language used by the Deaf in Italy. The history section of the LIS page is worth a read; it discusses spontaneous signs among Benedictine monks (known for vows of oral silence) and the recognition of deaf people under Emperor Justinian (527-565 CE).
Dutch Sign Language (NGT) is yet another sign language linked to Old French Sign Language. The are five schools for the deaf in the Netherlands.
Polish Sign Language (PJM) – covered in this article series – appears to be linked to French Sign Language and is distinct from spoken Polish.
Portuguese Sign Language (LGP), predominant in Portugal, was influenced by Swedish Sign Language thanks to the work of the Swedish professor Par Aron Borg.
The Deaf community in Russia uses Russian Sign Language (RSL), which appears to be linked to French Sign Language, possibly because one of the first two sign language teachers in Russia was from France.
Spanish Sign Language (LSE) is the predominant sign language in Spain, though there are several additional sign languages, especially Catalan and Valencian, that may be considered separate dialects.
Swiss-German Sign Language (DSGS) is of inconclusive origin. It may be partly based on German Sign Language, but it seems more closely related to French Sign Language. The Wikipedia page notes that research on links to DGS is ‘planned’.
The UK uses British Sign Language (BSL) of the British, Australian and New Zealand Sign Language (BANZSL), which contains three languages that can be considered one due to their significant overlap – ‘82% of signs are identical’.
Ukrainian Sign Language (USL) is within the French family of sign languages. At the time of our visit, Mikomax had a number of USL speakers on the team; translation devices were used to enable communication between Polish Sign Language users and USL users. The 2014 crime drama The Tribe, featuring communication exclusively in USL, garnered significant international attention.
Writer’s note: The above is intended to serve as a resource for hearing people interested in learning more about the Deaf experience. It’s important to note that I am not Deaf, and the above is not shared from the point of view of an expert. This information was compiled while doing research for a two-part series on our Deaf members at the Mikomax headquarters. The primary angle focuses on the team in Lodz, speakers of Polish Sign Language; that perspective is highlighted (and may differ from the Deaf experience elsewhere). While researching, I found fascinating stories and immensely helpful resources – especially SignHealth, the Singapore Association for the Deaf, and Ulrike Zeshan. I hope you will find this information and these resources useful as well.
There are undoubtedly gaps in the information above; my hope is that this becomes an evolving resource. Please let me know if you find information that is inaccurate; if you’re curious about questions that aren’t asked here; or if you have additional knowledge resources that readers may find helpful.
07/12/2023 • 10 min read
How Mikomax creates a culture of inclusion
14/12/2023 • 7 min read