In this episode, Saskia examines an often overlooked side of languages. British Sign Language is the first language of many deaf and hard of hearing people, and their children across the UK, and yet misconceptions and myths about sign languages are pervasive and most Linguistics courses do not include modules on them. This podcast explores some of those myths, looking at some areas of linguistic interest, in BSL and around the world. Diane Stoianov, a PhD student, and Bencie Woll, head of UCL’s DCAL (Deaf Cognition and Language Research Centre), share what they are working on, and what they most want people to know about the study of sign languages, including topics on conversation practice, the history of BSL, and how sign languages are structured. BSL is an official minority language in the UK, and in UNESCO’s International Year of Indigenous Languages it is important to remember that here in the UK we have 14 indigenous languages, and not all of them are spoken.
This podcast was recorded at SOAS Radio.
Episode concept by Saskia Dunn
Music:
Yellow Light District (ID 1135)
Lobo Loco - www.musikbrause.de
Creative Commons License (by-nc-nd)