Introduction to BSL
What is British Sign Language?
British Sign Language is the preferred language of over 70,000 Deaf people, for whom English may be a second or third language, although over 100,000 hearing people who have a proficiency in the language also use it.
British Sign Language is a visual/spatial language, which is governed by its own grammatical rules using hand shapes, hand movements and facial expressions to convey meaning. The grammatical rules of BSL are completely different to the rules of English.
To find out about your nearest class contact your local Adult Education Centre - you should be able to get the number from directory enquiries. Or you could send a SAE to the Council for the Advancement of Communication with Deaf People. The CACDP is the national exam board for BSL examinations.
CACDP Head Office
Durham University Science Park
Block 4
Stockton Road
Durham DH1 3UZ
Tel: 0191 383 1155 (voice and text)
Fax: 0191 383 7914
Email: durham@cacdp.org.uk
Website: www.cacdp.org.uk/
There are a wide range of sites about British Sign Language on the World Wide Web, a selection of which are listed below. For further information, you could try Deafclub.co.uk.
BritishSignLanguage.com offers an introduction to BSL via over 400 photo animations of common words.
Deafsign is a great resource all about BSL, including online tutors and translators, plus an introduction to deaf awareness and a section for schools.
Sign Communique is worth a visit if you're looking for CD-ROMs and videos as part of education and training in BSL.
