Personal Information

Sharing Personal Information in British Sign Language

Once you have introduced yourself to someone new and had a basic conversation, you will probably want to share a bit more about yourselves. This is where personal information comes in: details about your family, your work, where you live, and your interests.

How much you share is entirely up to you. Some people are naturally open, while others prefer to keep things private until they know someone better. Either approach is fine. What matters is having the vocabulary to express these things when you want to.

The signs described here are British Sign Language (BSL). Other sign languages will have different signs for the same concepts, just as spoken languages have different words.

Family and Relationships

Family often comes up early in conversation. You might want to ask if someone has siblings, whether they are married, or if they have children.

In BSL, the sign for husband involves miming the action of placing a ring on the ring finger. The sign for wife uses the same motion. The meaning becomes clear from context: who you are speaking to and what has already been said in the conversation.

To sign children, you mime patting a child on the head, as if indicating their height. This is a common and easily recognisable sign. For brother and sister, the signs typically incorporate elements that indicate gender along with a sign suggesting a sibling relationship.

You can ask about parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins as you build your vocabulary. Many family signs follow logical patterns once you learn the basics, making them easier to remember over time.

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Where You Live and Work

Asking where someone lives or what they do for work is standard in most conversations. These topics help you find common ground and learn more about each other's daily lives.

Place names in BSL often have their own specific signs. London, Manchester, Birmingham and other major cities each have established signs that deaf communities use. Smaller towns may be fingerspelled or may have local signs that are used within that area. If you are unsure of a place sign, fingerspelling is always acceptable.

Work and occupation signs vary widely. Some jobs have well known signs: teacher, doctor, nurse, police officer. Others may need to be fingerspelled or described. As you meet more people and expand your vocabulary, you will pick up signs for different professions.

If you are learning BSL formally, a tutor or class will usually cover these practical topics early on. Organisations such as Signature offer accredited BSL courses at various levels across the UK.

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Hobbies and Interests

Talking about what you enjoy doing is a natural way to develop a friendship. Sport, music, reading, cooking, travel: these are all topics that come up regularly.

Many hobby signs are iconic, meaning they visually represent the activity. The sign for football involves miming kicking a ball. Swimming mimics the arm movements of a swimmer. Reading shows the action of looking at a book. This visual logic makes many signs intuitive once you start to recognise the pattern.

Likes and dislikes are expressed through facial expression as well as signs. In BSL, non manual features such as your face, eyebrows and mouth movement carry grammatical meaning. A thumbs up or thumbs down combined with the appropriate facial expression can convey whether you enjoy something or not.

Building Your Vocabulary Over Time

Learning to share personal information in BSL takes practice. You do not need to master everything at once. Start with the basics: family terms, a few place names, your own occupation and a handful of hobbies.

Practising with other signers is one of the best ways to improve. Many areas have deaf clubs or BSL social groups where learners are welcome. Online resources and video dictionaries can also help you check signs and learn new ones at your own pace.

The British Deaf Association provides information about deaf community events and resources. Local councils sometimes list BSL classes and social groups in their adult education programmes.

As your confidence grows, you will find that conversations flow more naturally. Personal information is the foundation of getting to know someone, and having the vocabulary to express it opens the door to real connection.

The Next Step

Now that you have read through the advice above, you might want to put it into practice. Our Sign Language Learning Path Builder lets you creates a personalised learning roadmap based on your starting point, goals, and available time. Try it now →