Indo-Pakistani Sign Language Grammar: A Typological Outline

Abstract

Indo-Pakistani Sign Language (IPSL) is the sign language
used by deaf communities in urban centers in parts of the Indian subcontinent. The language community is large, estimated at several hundred thousand signers, if not more (Vasishta, Woodward, and Wilson 1978). IPSL is not known to be related to other sign languages of either Asia or Europe. Its exact geographic extension is not known at present. Previous research (Zeshan 2000b; Woodward 1993) suggests that IPSL may be in use throughout India, Pakistan, and Nepal with varying degrees of dialectal variation, but this has not yet been investigated in detail, nor has its possible use in other countries of the Indian subcontinent (e.g., Sri Lanka, Bangladesh). This article is based on the variety used in southern and central Pakistan and northwestern India.