bsl (british sign language)

British Sign Language (BSL) is the first or preferred language of nearly 70,000 D/deaf people in the United Kingdom. It is a language of space and movement using the hands, body, face and head. Many thousands of hearing people also use BSL. More people (Deaf and hearing) use BSL than speak Welsh or Gaelic.

BSL gained recognition as a language in its own right on Tuesday 18 March 2003 . Read the story.

Contrary to popular belief, sign language is not international. Wherever communities of Deaf people exist, sign languages develop. As with spoken languages, these vary from country to country and even from parts of a country. The North and the South of England have very definite “accents”. They are not based on the spoken language in the country of origin.

BSL belongs to Deaf people. It is not a communication system devised by hearing people. It is a real language which has evolved in the UK's Deaf community over hundreds of years. BSL history.