LL-L "Language varieties" 2004.11.23 (02) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 23.NOV.2004 (02) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
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From: Sandy Fleming <sandy at scotstext.org>
Subject: "Language varieties" [E]

Some time ago I wrote:

> The number of BSL users in the UK is usually quoted as 70,000, but this
> is only people who are actually deaf - and, if I've read the reports
> correctly, doesn't even include those hard of hearing or deafened people
> who have learned BSL by going to classes. It seems to ignore the fact
> that often a culturally deaf BSL user has a whole family of hearing
> signers around them, and that BSL classes are often packed out, many of
> the hearing students passing exams and taking their BSL to higher and
> higher levels.

Someone else cross-posted this to the slling-l (Sign Language Linguistics)
mailing list and after some further discussion Professor Bencie Woll replied
as follows:

<quote>

I think there are several separate issues here. The one Onno addresses is
the figure for the number of Deaf people whos preferred language is BSL -
there are no good data on this, with estimates ranging from 30,000 to
70,000. It was  recommended in a report  published in 2002 by the Department
for Work and Pensions in the UK that a question about BSL use be included in
the next census, just as questions are asked about the use of other minority
languages.

The second point is the one about hearing users. For this figures do exist.
There is a national certificating body for learners of BSL (mostly hearing
adults, although some Deaf people also take these certificates). Courses in
BSL became popular following the launch of a BBC 'learn BSL' series,
developed in collaboration with the British Deaf Association, that was
broadcast in the early 1990s. Since then, between 5 and 10,000 people per
year have obtained a Level 1 qualification (equivalent to 120 hours of
study) , with a smaller number obtaining Level 2 or higher. One can see that
this already represents a larger absolute number of hearing people with a
knowledge of BSL than Deaf people.

Bencie Woll

</quote>

So it seems we have the case of a living minority language where there are
more learners than native speakers!

I stated before that British Sign Language (BSL) is spoken in the UK and
Irish Sign Languege (ISL) in the Republic of Ireland. Shane Gilchrist
hEorpa, a signer in Northern Ireland, joined the sw-l (SignWriting) mailing
list recently and submitted this post clarifying the situation in Northern
Ireland (Gallaudet is the University for the Deaf in the USA):

<quote>

Val,

thank you for your welcome.

yes, Pat Matthews is doing a PhD on SignWriting - I believe Helena Saunders
*did* introduce SignWriting to Ireland but I am not sure about this - as i
am a born-again convert (if we can use that together!) on this (by the way,
Matthews isnt one of our leaders - hes just a Deaf academic :-) )

as for Northern Ireland, we have two national sign languages - ISL (as a
large number of people went to Dublin schools - and I was educated in a
school in Belfast started by the Dublin schools as the feeder school for
Dublin schools) and NISL (Northern Ireland Sign Language)

NISL is what many people refer to as "BSL" - but just because NISL use the
BSL alphabet and a lot of BSL signs doesnt mean its BSL itself - as it does
have a LARGE number of ASL signs in NISL (thanks to Francis Maginn and some
others who brought ASL over from Galladuet 100 years ago) and also a large
number of ISL signs - of course our local signs too.

There is a big debate in Northern Ireland about whether we can use the term
NISL or BSL - but my work, the SLCB, will use the term NISL - in sensitive
areas, we will say NISL (NI-BSL) - its a very political issue - as some
people want to keep "British" therefore devoiding themselves of their local
identity and local heritage which is a very sad one as our old signs are
disappearing FAST - and it was England who discouraged us from using them in
the first place.

the Flanders - theyre wonderful people - and very intelligent just like the
people in Northern Ireland - it is like being home again :D

Shane

</quote>

Sandy
http://scotstext.org/

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