Frequently Asked Questions

What is British Sign Language?
Click on the video image to run our video: BSL
British Sign Language (BSL) is the native sign language of the British Isles. It is a complete language with its own unique vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure and history - just like spoken languages. As BSL is an entirely visual language it is completely accessible to deaf (and hearing) people. As a complete language it is capable of communicating the same concepts as any other language and continually evolves over time. BSL (like many of the world’s spoken languages) does not have a written form. BSL is a crucial part of the identity, culture, history and life of Deaf people.

Are there other native sign languages?
Yes. There are many different sign languages in the world just like there are many different spoken languages. BSL is not even used in every country where English is spoken. Australian Sign Language (Auslan) and British Sign Language are similar, but American Sign Language (ASL) is very different - more like French Sign Language (LSF).

What about when people talk and sign at the same time?
In addition to native sign languages, there are also some sign ‘systems’. Sign systems are not sign languages, but they borrow signs from sign languages. In Britain the most commonly used system is Sign Supported English (SSE). SSE borrows signs from BSL and uses them with spoken words to accompany English sentences. In SSE only some of the spoken words are accompanied by signs. Not every word is signed so SSE does not give a deaf child full access to English, and because English grammar is different from BSL grammar SSE does not give a deaf child access to BSL either. SSE is often used as a ‘contact language’ when Deaf and hearing people want to talk to each other but not everybody is fluent in BSL.
Signed English (SE) is another sign system. It borrows signs from BSL and adds many invented signs for the small words and parts of words that only occur in English, like ‘is’, ’are’ ‘-ed’ and ‘ing’. If you try to speak and use SE at the same time you have to talk very slowly so it is not good for talking to people. SE is used at Red Oaks for supporting deaf children’s literacy (reading, writing and spelling).

What is fingerspelling?
Fingerspelling is the English alphabet in BSL. Every letter has a different sign so any English word can be spelled out on your hands. It is used for words that do not have signs, like the names of people or places. British Sign Language uses a two-handed alphabet. Some sign languages like French and American have a one-handed alphabet.
See: The BSL Fingerspelling website

What are Sign Names?
Many Deaf people use ‘sign names’ to talk about people. A sign name is a quick way of saying a person’s name without having to spell out every letter. The sign name can be the first letter of the person’s name, or the sign for an English word that sounds a bit like the person’s name, or a sign that says something about the person (like their hobby, a personal characteristic or what they look like).

What does Deaf with a big ‘D’ and deaf with a small ‘d’ mean?
People who are ‘Deaf’ with a big ‘D’ consider themselves part of the Deaf community. They have BSL as their preferred (chosen) language and have a strong Deaf identity associated with their language, Deaf culture and Deaf history.

People who are ‘deaf’ with a small ‘d’ consider themselves part of the ‘hearing’ community. They normally use spoken language to communicate (but may also know how to sign). They do not have a ‘Deaf’ identity.
‘deaf’ with a small ‘d’ is also used when talking about a person’s deafness (not being able to hear).

Did you know…?
Only 5% of deaf children have two deaf parents. Another 5% have one deaf parent. That means that 90% of deaf children have two hearing parents - who might not know anything about deafness or signing when their child is born.