What is BSL?

BSL hasn’t always been considered its own language, and it was only recognised by the UK Government as an official minority language in 2003!

Sign language is a visual means of communication using gestures, facial expressions, and body language, and is used predominantly by individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. Within Britain, the most commonly used form of sign language is called British Sign Language (BSL). BSL has its own grammatical structure and syntax, as well as not being dependent or strongly related to spoken English. 

BSL is the preferred language of over 145,000 people within the UK! 

There is a false impression that sign language is the same worldwide, however, this is far from the truth! There are national variations in sign language such as American Sign Language (ASL), and Japanese Sign Language (JSL), as well as regional variations of the language too. 

Today, there are more than 300 different sign languages in the world, used by more than 72 million deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals worldwide. 

Things to be aware of when communicating with deaf individuals

When communicating with someone who’s deaf or hard of hearing, it is important to be able to communicate in a clear and considerate manner that supports their understanding. Here are a few tricks to help:

• It’s important to have someone’s attention before you start communicating with them, even though it may be hard for the individual to know that you’re trying to get their attention sometimes. 

• Communicate with the individual directly and hold clear eye contact. 

• Speak at a normal speed and volume, using regular lip patterns. 

• If necessary, don’t feel afraid to use written notes/diagrams, as well as specific gestures or expressions to get your point across. 

• Make sure that the room is well-lit so that the individual can see your face and gestures clearly. 

• Keep checking to make sure that the individual understands you. 

Basic greetings in BSL 

Typically, BSL users will be very appreciative of anyone attempting to use sign language so here are a few basic signs which will help you initiate conversation: 

Hello/ Goodbye 

Wave your hand like greeting someone in English. Make sure to mouth ‘hello’ or ‘goodbye’ so the person is aware of how you are greeting them.

How are you? 

Place both palms flat on you chest, and move them upwards and then forwards into a thumbs up position.

Sorry 

Make a fist with your right hand in the centre of your chest, then move it in a circular motion on your chest while mouthing ‘sorry’.

Thank you/Please 

When signing thank you or please in BSL, the same hand gesture is used and only the lip pattern of the word you are saying changes. Position your right hand with its fingertips on your chin and then move your hand slightly away from your face.

Why is any of this important?

Having a greater understanding of the language and culture of BSL is incredibly important because as a community, BSL users can often feel isolated and disconnected. BSL is the first language of many individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, and it is important to be aware of this when communicating with them. Often, individuals will speak and understand spoken English (as a second language), but that doesn’t mean that they are fluent or comfortable speaking the language. Furthermore, if you are communicating with a BSL user using spoken English, keep in mind that they will have to lip-read your responses (which isn’t as easy as one may assume), so be patient and ready to repeat if necessary. 

Overall, BSL is an important language to help connect individuals who are hard of hearing together, as well as with wider communities. We must continue to work on improving our inclusivity for deaf individuals so that they and their language are fully appreciated. 

I hope that this short article has helped you discover more about British Sign Language and that you might be able to use a few greeting signs the next time you meet someone who uses BSL. 

More information

If you’re interested in learning more about British Sign Language, I would recommend joining a class! Alternatively, there are lots of online resources too. 

• BBC Three’s video: Things Not To Say To A Deaf person (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SarMSwv_aHI )

• British Sign Language Directory (https://www.signbsl.com )

• British Sign Language Site (https://www.british-sign.co.uk )

• Royal Association for Deaf People ( https://royaldeaf.org.uk )