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Polish Sign Language

Eurasian Language Families

Polish Sign Language, abbreviated PJM, is the sign language of the deaf community in Poland. It is unclassified and possibly a language isolate, using a distinctive one-handed manual alphabet based on that of Old French Sign Language, and its lexicon and grammar are distinct from spoken Polish, though a separate manually coded system called Signed Polish exists for educational and broadcast use. Between 40,000 and 50,000 people used the language as of 2014, and Poland's 2012 Sign Language Act granted it official recognition, including the right to choose it as a language of instruction.

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