Djibouti

  • Total Population

    974,000 (2019 census)

  • Deaf Population

  • Number of Sign Language Users

  • Nation's Official Language(s)

    French, Standard Arabic

  • Other Languages

    The number of established languages listed in Ethnologue is 5. These include:

    • Afar
    • Amharic
    • Somali
  • Name of Sign Language

    Djibouti Sign Language (DSC), Somalian Sign Language

  • Overview Of Deaf Community And Education

    Woodford (2006) refers to there being some form of home signing.  She wrote “Later some unschooled deaf men were discovered in Djibouti. They used a form of 'home-language' to communicate with each other, and in some cases with hearing wives and other family members.”

    One of the teachers from Boroma in Somalia founded a school in Djibouti, where Somali Sign Language (SSL) is used. Teacher training has taken place via Kenya and Uganda.

  • Sign Language Overview

    Woodford (2006) describes the language use as follows: “the sign language used in Djibouti remains SSL (Somali Sign Language), but with a different pattern of development.” It is not clear however what this different pattern may be since no research has been done here. 

  • Deaf Organizations In Country

  • Overview of Interpreting Services

  • Resources

    Woodford, Doreen E. (2006) The beginning and growth of a new language - Somali Sign Language. Enabling Education Network. Retrieved December 6th, 2016.  

  • List of Contributors

    Anne Baker

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