Daria speaking Russian Sign Language

This video was recorded by Elise Lieberman in Moscow, Russia, where she was visiting and where Daria lives and works. Russian Sign Language (РЖЯ) is spoken by as many as 120,000 people, primarily in Russia, as well as other countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia; this includes Moldova, Ukraine, Lithuania, Georgia, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan. A member of the French Sign Family of languages, РЖЯ shares genealogy with sign languages around the world, including those of the United States (ASL), Mexico (LSM), and even Madagascar (NSL). РЖЯ is thought to have developed at the turn of the nineteenth century, in the deaf schools of Pavlovsk near St. Petersburg.