British Sign Language (BSL)
Glottolog calls it: British Sign Language
Reference material, with every source named. Our own communities are further down the page.
Endangerment status
Vulnerable
Most adults speak it, but fewer children are learning it.
Source: Glottolog (glottolog-cldf, master)
ISO 639-3 bfi · Glottocode brit1235
Speakers at home
The census asks which language is spoken at home and does not count sign languages at all, so there is no official figure here.
Help record this language 0 / 10
Ten small things, each answerable in under a minute by anyone who speaks the language. You do not need to prepare, and you do not have to do them in order.
- A greetingnone yet
How do you greet someone, and how do they answer?
- Numbersnone yet
Count from one to ten.
- Familynone yet
The words for mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, child.
- Saying goodbyenone yet
How did the oldest person you knew say goodbye?
- Foodnone yet
Name a dish and say how it is made.
- Weather and seasonsnone yet
Describe today’s weather, then name the seasons.
- A place namenone yet
The name of your home place in this language, and what it means.
- A proverbnone yet
A saying that does not translate well. Say it, then explain it.
- A song for a childnone yet
Sing something that was sung to you.
- A storynone yet
A story you were told as a child. Take as long as you need.
Join a community for this language to add a recording
You keep what you record. It stays credited to you, nobody else can change it, and you can delete it at any time.
Communities on CultureMesh
No community has been started for this language yet.
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Is this right? For most languages the census refuses to count speakers separately, so the figure above is a whole category rather than this language. If you know better, write it down — on this page you are the source.
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CultureMesh, "British Sign Language (BSL)" language page (https://culturemesh.com/languages/british-sign-language-bsl-105). Endangerment status: Glottolog (glottolog-cldf, master).