Czech Republic
National Sign Language
Ceský Znakový Jazyk, CZJ
In English: Czech Sign Language
Language Status: 5 (Developing).
Legal Recognition
"Sign Language Legislation in the European Union", Wheatley, M., A. Pabsch., Edition II. Brussels, EUD, 2012:
"Czech Sign Langauge was recognised as a language in its own right in Law 155/1998. The subsequent (and current) piece of legislation introduced a number of changes, most notably the removal of the term znakové řeč (sign system). It was replaced by the official term for Czech Sign Language: Ceský Znakový Jazyk. (..)
The current (2008) law on the communication systems of deaf and deafblind persons contains provisions regarding sign language and other 'communication systems', which Deaf people can choose freely (Section 1(2)). Section 4 further describes Czech Sign language and acknowledges it as a natural 'communication system' with linguistic and grammatical features. (..)
Section 7 not only gives the right to use sign language, it also grants deaf (and deafblind) people the right to be educated in sign language and the right to be taught sign language. (..)
Additionally, parents with deaf children are entitled to free sign language courses (Section 9)."
"Czech Sign Language gained legal recognition as a human language with the passage of the Sign Language Law 155/1998 Sb ("Zákon o znakové řeči 155/1998 Sb")"
Number of Deaf Sign Language Users
10.000 (EUD website, December 2016)