German Sign Language or Deutsche Gebärdensprache is the sign language of the deaf community in Germany. It is often abbreviated as DGS. It is unclear how many use German Sign Language as their main language; Gallaudet University estimated 50,000 in 1986. The language has evolved through use in deaf communities over hundreds of years.
Read more about German Sign Language: Recognition of German Sign Language, German and German Sign Language, Manual Alphabet and Fingerspelling, Dialects and Related Languages, Notation Systems, Grammar, Further Reading
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