Indo-Pakistani Sign Language
| Indo-Pakistani Sign Language | |
|---|---|
| Native to | India, Pakistan, Bangladesh |
| Signers | 6,000,000 in India (Indian Sign Language, ins), 1,080,000 in Pakistan (Pakistan Sign Language, pks) (2021) |
Possibly related to Nepalese Sign | |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | Variously:ins – Indian Sign Languagepks – Pakistani Sign Languagewbs – West Bengal Sign Language |
| Glottolog | indo1332 Indo-Pakistani Sign |
Indo-Pakistani Sign Language (IPSL; Urdu: پاک و ہند اشاری زبان) is the predominant sign language in the subcontinent of South Asia, used by at least 15 million deaf signers. As with many sign languages, it is difficult to estimate numbers with any certainty, as the Census of India does not list sign languages and most studies have focused on the north and urban areas. As of 2024, it is the most used sign language in the world, and Ethnologue ranks it as the 149th most spoken language in the world.
Some scholars regard varieties in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and possibly Nepal as variants of Indo-Pakistani Sign Language. Others recognize some varieties as separate languages. The ISO standard currently distinguishes:
- Indian Sign Language (ins)
- Pakistan Sign Language (pks)
- West Bengal Sign Language (Kolkata Sign Language) (wbs)
- Nepalese Sign Language (nsp)