Abstract
Constanze Schmaling’s published doctoral dissertation (1997) provides a detailed description of Hausa Sign Language (HSL), the language used by the Deaf community in northern Nigeria. This volume offers the first comprehensive linguistic description of any West African Sign Language (the work cites nearly 290 references). It also is a significant contribution to our understanding of the nature of African sign languages, where research is still in its infancy. The book is divided into two main parts: background and Hausa Sign Language. The fifty-six-page background section consists of three chapters. Chapter 1 contextualizes the Deaf community in Kano State in terms of the history, culture, and language of the broader hearing community. In chapter 2 the focus shifts to the sociocultural conditions, education, and language situation of the Deaf community under consideration. Interestingly, Deaf people in Hausaland are more completely socially integrated than they are in Europe and the United States:
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