The Peoples’ Linguistic Survey of India is a right based movement for carrying out a nation-wide survey of Indian languages especially the languages of fragile communities such as nomadic, coastal, island, hill and forest communities.

There are around 80 volumes in the series of People’s Linguistic Survey of India being published by us. This book is Part 1 of Volume 38, Bhartiya Saanketik Bhasha  [Indian Sign Language[s][Hindi] of The People's Linguistic Survey of India Series (PLSI) undertaken and executed by Bhasha Research and Publication Center, Baroda.

This thirty-eighth volume of the People’s Linguistic Survey of India is devoted to the Indian Sign Language (ISL), the language of the Deaf in India. The articles in the volume are divided into four parts. The first discusses both its formal linguistic and ‘orthographic’ features; the second presents the sociolinguistic themes of the ISL such as bilingualism and language variety as well as language planning and policy issues. Part three presents various synchronic aspects of the ISL. The final part comprises articles on themes interfacing Sign Languages and other knowledge systems. This very first collection of articles on the ISL, is a critically important contribution to the discipline.

Unique features:

1. Competition: There is as yet no comprehensive work done on languages apart from the Grierson’s survey which was done way back some 100 years ago during the British regime in India.
2. India-focused unique feature: The volume on Indian Sign Language is one of its kind. This sets the book apart from the earlier survey done by foreign authors.
3. Style: Written in simple language, accessible to all readers and research scholars.

Professor  Ganesh  Devy taught English at the Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda; a renowned literary critic and activist; founder and director of the Tribal Academy at Tejgadh, Gujarat; and director of the Sahitya Akademi’s Project on Literature in Tribal Languages and Oral Folk Traditions. He received Sahitya Akademi award for his book After Amnesia in 1994. He is an active participant in the functioning of Bhasha Academy. He was awarded the Padmashri in 2014. He is the moving spirit behind PLSI series.

Tanmay Bhattacharya, is an associate professor of Linguistics at the Centre for Advanced Studies in linguistics, university of Delhi. His research interests include syntax, psycholinguistics, gender, disability, deaf education and sign languages.

Nisha Grover, has been involved with the education of deaf children since 1974 for which the Akshar Trust was started twenty five years ago.

Surinder P.K. Randhawa, is a senior consultant on deaf languages (Independent).

Contents

• Bharatiya Bhasha Lok Sarvekshan [People’s Linguistic Survey of India]
• Rashtriya Sampadak Mandal [National Editorial Collective]
• Bharatiya BhashaLok Sarvekshan Granthmala[A complete list of titles in PLSI series]
• Aabhaar [Acknowledgement]
• Bhumika by Dr D P Pattanayak [Preface by Dr D P Pattanayak]
• Mukhya Sampaadkiya by Chief editor Dr G N Devy[Series Editorial by Dr G N Devy]
• Sampaadkiya by Tanmay Bhattacharya
• Anuvadakon ki aur se[Surinder Randhawa & Neha Kulshrestha]
• Pathakon se Vinti [An open appeal to the readers]
• Sahyogi Lekhkon ki Suchi [ List of contributors]

PART I: BHARTIYA SANKETIK BHASHA KI VISHESHTAYEIN
[FEATURES OF THE INDIAN SIGN LANGUAGE]
1. Bhartiya Saanketik Bhasha ki Sameeksha aur Arambhik Itihas
    [Overview and Early History of Indian Sign Language]
2. Videshi  Saanketik Bhasha ki Tulnaa mein Bhartiya Saanketik Bhasha ke Vishisht Lakshan
    [Distinctive Features of the Indian Sign Language in Comparison to Foreign Sign Languages]
3. Bhartiya Saanketik Bhasha mein Space, Ekaeeyan aur Kram
    [Space, Units and Order in ISL]
4. Paschim Ksetra ke Sthaniya Pratinidhi Sanket
    [Local Representative Signs of the Western Region]
5. Hast Varnmala [Fingerspelling]
6. Sanket Lekhan [Sign Writing] 

PART II: SHIKSHA AUR NEETI [EDUCATION AND POLICY] 
7. Sanket Dwibhashaavaad [Sign Bilingualism]
8. Alipur: Bharat mein Anuvaanshik Badhirta ka ek Gaon: Samajik-Bhashayee evm Samajik shaikshanik Varnan
    [Alipur: a Village with Hereditary Deafness in India: A Sociolinguistic and Socio-educational Profile] 
9. Sanketik Bhasha aurSanketik Bhasha Adhikaron se sambandhit Kanoon evm Neetiyan
    [Legislation and Policies in Relation to Sign Language and Sign Language Rights]

PART III: VARTMAN STHITI [THE PRESENT SITUATION]
10. Bhartiya Saanketik Bhasha ke Aitihasik Vikas ka ek Niji Varnan
      [A Personal Account of Historical Developments of Indian Sign Language]
11. Cyberspace mein Bhartiya Saanketik Bhasha aur Hasya
      [Indian Sign Language and Humour in Cyberspace]
12. Badhir Logon ke Sangathan [Organisations of Deaf People]
13. Badhiron ki Aawaz [Voices]
14.Bhartiya Sanketik Bhasha ka Bhavishya[The Future of Indian Sign Language]

PART IV:SAANKETIK BHASHAYEN AUR ANYA GYAN PRANALIYAN
[SIGN LANGUAGE AND OTHER KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS] 
15. Bhartiya Paramapra mein  Sanket-Chinh Shastra
      [Signs in Indian Tradition—the Chinha Shastra]
16. Sanketik Bhasha aur Bharat mein Kala Pradarshan mein Sanketan
      [Sign Language and Signing in the Traditions of Performance in India]
17. Sanket Samroopta aur Naye Gyanshastra [Sign Iconicity and New Epistemologies]

PART V: PARISHIST [APPENDICES] 
Appendix I Filmon ki ek Soochi [A List of Films]
Appendix II Paschimi Bharat (Gujarat) ke Sanket Shabdawali
Sign Vocabulary of Western India (Gujarat)
Sandarbh garanth Soochi [Bibliography]

Anukarmnika [Index]