Turkish Sign Language
Encyclopedia
Turkish Sign Language is the language used by the deaf community in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

. As with other sign languages, TİD has a unique grammar that is different from the spoken languages used in the region.

TİD uses a two-handed manual alphabet which is very different from the two-handed alphabets used in the BANZSL
BANZSL
BANZSL, or British, Australian and New Zealand Sign Language, is the language of which British Sign Language , Auslan and New Zealand Sign Language may be considered dialects...

 sign languages.

Signing communities

According to the Turkish Statistical Institute
Turkish Statistical Institute
Turkish Statistical Institute is the Turkish government agency commissioned with producing official statistics on Turkey, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It was founded in 1926 and has its headquarters in Ankara....

, there are a total of 89,043 (53,543 male 35,500 female) persons with hearing impairment
Hearing impairment
-Definition:Deafness is the inability for the ear to interpret certain or all frequencies of sound.-Environmental Situations:Deafness can be caused by environmental situations such as noise, trauma, or other ear defections...

 and 55,480 (34,672 male, 20,808 female) persons with speaking disability living in Turkey, based on 2000 census data.

History

There are references to deaf signs in use in the court of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

 between the 16th century and 17th centuries. However, there is no record of the signs themselves and not enough evidence to prove conclusively that this sign system or language is related to modern Turkish Sign Language.

Deaf schools were established in 1902, and until 1953 used TİD alongside the Turkish spoken and written language in education. After 1953, Turkey has adopted an oralist
Manualism and oralism
Education of the deaf consists of two main approaches: manualism and oralism. Manualism is the education of deaf students using sign language and oralism is the education of deaf students using spoken language...

 approach to deaf education.

External links

  • Turkish Sign Language (Turkish and English) Website including dictionary and general information, by the Turkish Academy of Sciences
    Turkish Academy of Sciences
    The Turkish Academy of Sciences is an autonomous scholarly society acting to promote scientific activities in Turkey. Although it is attached to the office of the Prime Minister and is largely funded by the government, it maintains financial and administrative autonomy...

     and Koç University
    Koç University
    Koç University is a private, non-profit institution, founded in 1993 and located in Istanbul, Turkey. One of the top universities in Turkey, it is supported by the financial resources of the Vehbi Koç Foundation, set up by Vehbi Koç, a leading Turkish businessman, “to serve humanity by increasing...

  • Turkish National Deaf Federation homepage (Turkish and English).
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