Gebarentaal

Geabarentaal, also written gebarentaal, is the term used in Dutch to refer to sign languages, a family of visual-gestural languages used by Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities. Sign languages are expressed through manual signs, facial expressions, and body posture, and they have their own grammar, lexicon, and pragmatics. They are not simply codes for spoken Dutch but natural languages that develop within Deaf communities and interact with surrounding spoken languages.

In the Netherlands and Flemish-speaking Belgium, several sign languages are used. The Netherlands primarily uses Nederlandse Gebarentaal (NGT), while Flanders uses Vlaamse Gebarentaal (VGT). Sign languages differ across regions and are not mutually intelligible; users may learn other sign languages as second languages. Sign languages are considered full natural languages by linguists and are used in education, media, and daily life.

Historically, Deaf communities developed sign languages in parallel with hearing society, often facing suppression of sign languages in education and public life. From the mid-20th century onward, recognition grew, with greater emphasis on bilingual approaches in schooling and greater access to interpretation services, captions, and media.

Linguistically, sign languages are studied as visual-gestural systems with features such as handshape, location, movement, orientation, and non-manual signals (facial expressions, head and body posture). Their grammar can differ markedly from spoken Dutch, and regional variants reflect distinct Deaf communities.

See also: Dutch Sign Language (NGT), Flemish Sign Language (VGT), Deaf culture, sign-language interpretation.