Minority Languages in Europe pp 173-191 | Cite as
On Policies and Prospects for British Sign Language
Abstract
This study is not primarily driven by language data per se, but rather draws upon more impressionistic participation and observation within the minority language community in question. The author is a user of British Sign Language (BSL), engaged socially and professionally on a daily basis with the relevant language community. The issue under investigation relates to the interpenetration of language and social systems, and a close awareness of social and public policy forces and their consequences are applied. The work presented here is aligned with an emerging tradition of scholarship in sign linguistics and builds upon the author’s earlier work (Turner 1995, 1996, 1999), drawing on the sociology of language and on anthropological linguistics for analyses of language and identity and on some recent developments in socio-political theory.
Keywords
Policy Climate Language Policy Sign Language Cochlear Implant Minority LanguagePreview
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