Croatian sign language (Hrvatski znakovni jezik, HZJ) is a

sign language Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation in combination with non-manual markers. Sign l ...

of the

deaf community Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an audiological condition. In this context it is written ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

. It has in the past been regarded as a dialect of

Yugoslav Sign Language The deaf sign language of the nations of the former Yugoslavia, known variously as Croatian Sign Language (Hrvatski znakovni jezik, HZJ), Kosovar Sign Language, Serbian Sign Language, Bosnian Sign Language, Macedonian Sign Language, Slovenian Si ...

, although the dialectical diversity of the former Yugoslavia has not been assessed.Bickford, J. Albert (2005
The Signed Languages of Eastern Europe
/ref> The first school for the deaf in Croatia was formed in Zagreb in 1885. The ''Sign Language and Deaf Culture'' conference was held in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...

, Croatia from May 3–5, 2001. In 2004, a project to establish a grammar of HZJ was started by researchers at

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and mone ...

and the

University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb ( hr, Sveučilište u Zagrebu, ; la, Universitas Studiorum Zagrabiensis) is the largest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of ...

. By law

Croatian Radiotelevision ''Hrvatska radiotelevizija'' (abbr. HRT), or Croatian Radiotelevision, is Croatia's public broadcasting company. It operates several radio and television channels, over a domestic transmitter network as well as satellite. HRT is divided into thr ...

is to promote the translation of programs into HZJ. Major centres of education in HZJ are found in Zagreb,

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, entertai ...

, Rijeka, and Osijek. Organizations for the deaf in Croatia include the ''Croatian Association of Deafblind Persons DODIR'', which was established in 1994. The basic word order in HZJ is subject–verb–object (SVO), as it is in spoken Croatian. A

two-handed manual alphabet Several manual alphabets in use around the world employ two hands to represent some or all of the letters of an alphabet, usually as a part of a deaf sign language. Two-handed alphabets are less widespread than one-handed manual alphabets. They may ...

is in widespread use; a one-handed alphabet based on the international manual alphabet, though less commonly used, has official status.Jednoručna abeceda
/ref>

References

External links

*
Dictionary of Croatian Sign Language
*
Croatian Deaf Portal
*
Croatian Association of Deafblind People Dodir
*
Croatian Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Possession and existence in three sign languages
{{sign language navigation French Sign Language family Croatian culture Languages of Croatia