Around new 4,000 words are likely to be added to the Indian sign language dictionary in 2020, including words about agriculture for the first time, according to officials of the Union Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry’s Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC), which is carrying out the project.

The work on adding more words to the dictionary, the first edition of which was launched in March 2018, followed by the second edition with 6,000 words in February 2019, started in April this year, an ISLRTC official said.

‘By 2020’

Speaking on the occasion of the International Sign Language Day on Monday, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thaawarchand Gehlot said he hoped the addition of 4,000 words to the sign language dictionary would be done by 2020.

Right now, the work of identifying signs for words across categories, including administration, medical, legal, education and agriculture, a first, with the help of the hearing impaired community was on, the official said. After that, a list of words would be presented before stakeholders from across the country at a national workshop to be held in January of February 2020, the official said.

First edition

The first edition of the dictionary, which was released in DVD form, had signs of everyday use along with the corresponding words in English and Hindi. Apart from that, specialised terms used in legal, academic, medical and technical fields were also included. The second edition had 6,000 words of academic, legal, medical, technical and everyday terms categories.

Meanwhile, the Minister handed out awards for a competition for jokes, essays and stories held for children with hearing impairment studying in the National Capital Region.