South African Sign Language

The primary sign language used by the Deaf community in South Africa, recognized as one of the country's official languages under the Constitution. SASL has its own grammar, syntax, and vocabulary distinct from spoken South African languages. Like all sign languages, SASL is a fully developed natural language that uses manual and non-manual features including hand shapes, movements, facial expressions, and body posture to convey meaning. For web accessibility, supporting SASL means providing sign language video or animation content alongside text, as many Deaf South Africans are more comfortable with SASL than with written English or other spoken languages.