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
