language fact file: British Sign Language

British Sign Language is used as an official language in: the UK

Number of users: 150,000

Learn some: The quickest way to learn to communicate with BSL users is to finger spell – use the chart below from the British Deaf Association to master it!

https://rnid.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/RNID_BSL_Finger_Spelling_Alphabet_Info.pdf

British Sign Language Fast facts:

You probably already know that there are national varieties of sign language, but did you know that BSL has regional accents? Just like spoken English, people using BSL from different parts of the country ‘sound’ different from each other.

Not all deaf people in the UK use BSL. It’s important not to assume that because someone is deaf, they will want sign language support.

BSL can be traced back to 1576! We know relatively little about BSL’s history but there is a record from this year showing that it was used at a wedding. The first school teaching BSL was founded in 1760, but discrimination against deaf people sadly persevered, and deaf children were punished in schools well into the 20th century for using sign language.