What is Sign Language?
Sign Language is the preferred means of communication of 5,000 of the 17,000 people in Northern Ireland who are severely or profoundly deaf and it is also used by a significant number of their families and friends. Sign Language is a language in its own right. It has its own grammar and syntax, completely different from the grammatical rules of English. It uses both manual and non-manual components: handshapes and movements, facial expression, and body language. In Northern Ireland there are two sign languages, British Sign Language (BSL) and Irish Sign Language (ISL). Approximately 3,500 people here use BSL and 1,500 use ISL. BSL and ISL are very different and distinct languages, eg the finger spelling alphabet used with BSL is two-handed, unlike the one-handed finger spelling alphabet used with ISL.
