About Sign Language
Discover the fundamentals of sign language, including its history, cultural significance, and why it's a rich and complete language in its own right. These articles explore the linguistic structure and beauty of signed communication across different regions and communities.
Academic Advantages of Sign Language
The academic advantages of sign language are numerous and plentiful. Learning sign language can bring academic advantages to anyone whether they can hear or...
British Sign Language
British sign language is as the name suggests the main form of sign language used in Great Britain. It is not the only form, as some people choose to use Ame...
Dogs and Sign Language
It has long been known how clever dogs are and how invaluable they can be to people who suffer certain disabilities. Certainly, guide dogs for the blind and...
History of Sign Language
Sign language dates back to the sixteenth century although it has evolved and changed many times since then. The history of sign language is complex as peopl...
Home Signs
Home signs are basically a system of signs which are invented and created by a deaf person usually a child, within their own family. This is not an uncommon...
How Do Brains Process Sign Language?
As other articles in this series indicate, the way sign language is structured is different to the way spoken languages are structured. Therefore, brains hav...
How Sign Language Choirs Work
If one stops to think about all of the ways people communicate using spoken language and all of the ways in which language is used to celebrate, praise and h...
How to Start Teaching Signed Language
Teaching sign language is an incredibly worthwhile thing to do, whether it is to parents of deaf children or to people who want to learn sign language with a...
Interpreting
Just as with French, Spanish or any foreign language, there is always a need for interpreting services for British sign language - or for any language for th...
Learn to Sign Week
Learn to Sign Week is an annual event which is organised by the British Deaf Association, usually in the first week of October. The idea behind the week is t...
Left Hand Signing
One particular problem presented to sign language users is that of people who are left handed. Left hand signing will obviously be different to the more comm...
Makaton
Makaton Makaton is a method of communication using signs and symbols and is often used as a communication process for those with learning difficulties. What...
Qualifications in Sign Language
So, if a person is learning sign language, be it for work, pleasure, because they are deaf, because they know someone who is deaf or any other reason, they m...
Sign Supported English
Sign language is not the only way deaf people can use gestures or make signs with their hands to communicate. Sign language - whichever one - is usually pref...
The Linguistics of Sign Language
The linguistics of sign language are somewhat complicated, especially for people who are used to using a spoken language. If you use sign language from birth...
Uses of Sign Language
At the moment there are not too many uses of sign language other than a means of communicating for deaf people. But as more and more people realise that sign...
Using Sign Language from Birth
Using sign language from early days or from birth gives deaf children the chance to learn exactly how to communicate in exactly the same way that children wh...
Using Sign Language in Schools
Many deaf children go to mainstream schools – after all, the vast majority of deaf children are bright, lively and able bodied children and so do not need...
Where to Learn Sign Language
There are many places where you can learn sign language but they are far fewer than most mainstream languages. The main problem with learning sign language i...
Who Can Benefit from Sign Language?
The question should not so much be who can benefit from sign language but who would not benefit from sign language. Far too many people see sign language as...
Worldwide Signing Information
There is a lack of worldwide signing information making it hard for deaf people around the world to communicate, just the same as people who can hear. Becaus...