Cardassian sign language is a gestural form of communication used by the Cardassian species, and is a language in its own right separate from the spoken Cardăsda language. While an official version exists for use in military and government functions, multiple idioms and dialects exist in practice, some influenced to a greater degree by Cardăsda than others. Cultural unity policies by the Cardassian government, however, prevent too much divergence, so most of these dialects remain mutually intelligible.