Hausa Sign Language

“Maganar hannu”, the name that deaf Hausa people call their language, is the sign language of deaf people in Hausaland (“Hausa Sign Language” in English). There is no information on the origin of Hausa Sign Language, but it is believed that deaf people have always used Hausa Sign Language whenever they met.

Hausa Sign Language is a language in its own right with its own lexicon and grammar, which differs from that of spoken Hausa. However, the language is influenced both by spoken Hausa and by Hausa culture.

Hausa Sign Language is not taught formally in schools for the deaf. Deaf children learn it from their parents, from their peers or other members of the deaf community. Hausa Sign Language is constantly enriched whenever deaf people meet, whether in schools or in deaf groups and associations in towns and villages.