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Irish Sign Language

Eurasian Language Families

Irish Sign Language is the sign language of Ireland, used primarily there and also, alongside British Sign Language, in Northern Ireland. It is more closely related to French Sign Language than to British Sign Language, though it shows influence from both. Irish Sign Language has in turn influenced sign languages in Australia and South Africa, and has little relation to either spoken Irish or English. It is unusual among sign languages for having distinct gendered variants, a result of men and women historically being taught the language at different schools around Ireland.

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