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ZimbabweSignLanguage is a DeafSignLanguage of Zimbabwe. SIL code: ZIB. ISO 639-2: sgn. Population: No estimate available. Alternate names: ZIMSIGN. Dialects: ZIMBABWE SCHOOL SIGN, MASVINGO SCHOOL SIGN, ZIMBABWE COMMUNITY SIGN. Comments: The sign language used in Masvingo is different from that used in other schools. The sign language used in schools and that used by adults outside is different. It is not clear if they are inherently intelligible to each other. There is some desire for standardization among educators. There are rumors of relationships to sign languages from Germany, Ireland, Australia, England, South Africa. Deaf people go to different schools, each using a different sign language. There have been elementary schools for deaf children since the 1940s. The Ministry of Education has pushed to open more spaces for deaf students in special classes in local schools. There is little research on the sign language. The deaf community is quite strong in terms of individual identity. They live their lives around deaf social networks and activities. There is a manual alphabet used for spelling English, possibly related to that in South Africa. Literacy in English is better among some deaf people than others, but generally limited. It is quite limited in Shona, mainly known by those from Masvingo. TV.(extract from http://www.ethnologue.com/)
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