Sign Language: Southern Asia

Southern Asia is a geographical area that contains eight countries, each of which has a national sign language (listed as follows, with common abbreviation if any). These languages differ to greater or lesser extent among themselves; some also show considerable intralinguistic variation:

• Afghanistan: Afghan Sign Language (AFSL)
• Bangladesh: Bangla Sign Language
• Bhutan: Bhutanese Sign Language
• India: Indian Sign Language (ISL)
• Maldives: Maldivian Sign Language (MvSL)
• Nepal: Nepali Sign Language (NSL)
• Pakistan: Pakistan Sign Language (PSL)
• Sri Lanka: Sri Lankan Sign Language (SLSL)

In certain cases, the national sign language enjoys widespread use among Deaf people across the country. In other cases, the national sign language may have a more limited range (e.g., the capital or other major city), while other sign languages or dialects are used in other cities. There are also reports of ...