Expansion of Indian Sign Language (ISL) | 29 Oct 2024

Recently, India added some 2,500 new terms including words in English and Hindi to the Indian Sign Language (ISL) dictionary e.g., Aadhaar card, Blockchain, Ursa Nebula etc.

New terms were added during the celebration of International Day of Sign Languages 2024 with the theme “Sign up for Sign Language Rights”.
- The UN General Assembly has proclaimed 23rd September as the International Day of Sign Languages in 2017 and it was first celebrated in 2018.
- The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) was established on 23rd September 1951.
Expansion of the ISL facilitated the deaf community’s engagement particularly in scientific, cultural, and internet related contexts.
The expansion of the ISL dictionary was spearheaded by the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC).
- ISLRTC is an autonomous organisation established under Societies Registration Act, 1860 and functions under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
- It is dedicated to researching, fostering educational access and promoting Indian sign language as a linguistic system.