BSL Level 3
Gary L Taylor
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BSL Linguistics – Level 3 Unit BSL320
Welcome back
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Feedback & reflection – 2:1

Small group discussions:
Reflect on filming experience
- Share how you felt when watching the clip back
- Reflect on what this did for your confidence
- Consider how you included linguistic elements as
a whole group and how you can support each
other to develop this
- Consider your progress in completing the work
-
Clips from February class
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Unit BSL320 Sign Linguistics Knowledge
Learning Outcome 1
Understand the key features of BSL
Sign Linguistics Knowledge
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Understand the key features of BSL Requirements:
• Describe the difference between a spoken
and a signed language
• Describe ‘established’ and ‘productive’
lexicons
• Describe the range of BSL verbs
• Give examples of the different sign types
Key features of BSL
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What is BSL?
A natural language of signs that has
developed over time in Britain.
It is not:
 Cued speech
 Signed English
 Fingerspelling
 Sign Supported English
What is BSL?
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Paget Gorman Sign Speech (PGSS)
 BSL is a living language that is subject to
change
Give examples of changes that happen in
BSL. Consider technology! Culturally correct
language?

What is BSL? Part 2
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Differences between a spoken and a signed
language:
In groups, compile a list of key differences
Group work
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Differences between a spoken and a signed
language
Spoken language:
 Uses eyes and hearing
 All writing is based on spoken language
Signed language:
 Uses eyes and space
 No written format
Spoken/Signed Languages
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Lexicons

There are 2 forms of lexicon (vocabulary)
in BSL:
Established
 Productive

Lexicons
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Established lexicons
Can be found in a dictionary or words
known by proficient signers
 Many are nouns (objects) and many can
be easily translated into English words.
 They can be understood when they stand
alone or without any context.

Examples please??
Established Lexicons
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Productive lexicons
Created by signers from component parts
that are combined to create a new
meaning. These components are the range
of permitted:
handshapes in BSL
 movements
 locations

Productive Lexicons
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orientations
 non-manual features

The new sign always draws on visual
motivation in some way. The visual nature
is central to the role that productive lexicon
plays in BSL.
Examples please??
Productive Lexicons - part 2
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In groups, create 5 signed
statements/descriptions that involve
established lexicon with some
corresponding productive lexicon linked to
the established e.g. I am moving my table
to the other side of the room.
Group work
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Verb Types in BSL
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Plain verbs
- do not move through space to show
grammatical information

In groups - examples please

Love, run, think
Plain Verbs
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Agreement verbs
Verb moved into syntactic space (false)

In groups - examples please

Ask, give, telephone
Agreement verbs
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Spatial verbs
Verb uses topographical space (real world)
Give information about where an action
happened and the location of the action.
Many also show movement - from and to,
speed.
 In groups - examples please
 Run downstairs, drive to, look around
Spatial verbs
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Syntactic space and topographic space
An overview:
http://www.bslinterpreter.biz/IOW_Winter_2012.p
df
Syntactic space and
topographic space
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Seven groups:
One movement away from neutral space –
‘Help’
 Verbs in neutral space that change
direction/orientation – ‘Criticise’
 One hand changes direction, other hand
remains still – ‘Visit’

What are verbs in BSL?
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One hand changes direction and
movement, other hand changes
orientation – ‘Tease’
 Take place away from the body – ‘Stab’
 Normally contact the body – ‘Ignore’
 Verbs that take place with another sign
that can show direction – ‘Telephone’

What are verbs in BSL? Part 2
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Frozen (or established)
 Sign has one meaning only, often with
English mouth pattern and equivalent
word in English e.g. brother, car
Sign Types
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Productive (e.g. classifier)
Has more than one meaning.
 Hand-shape tells us about an object or
person.
 Movement tells us about how the object
or person is moving e.g. jar-open, car-gouphill

Sign Types
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Indexical (referent)
Used to point to things and tell us what or
who we are talking about.
 If the object/person is there we can point
to it/them
 If not there, we can use a pronoun e.g. I,
you, we, they

Sign Types
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Numbers
 Signs to represent numbers
Name signs
 Signs to represent names of people and
places
Fingerspelling
 Use of the fingerspelling alphabet
Sign Types
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Signs can also be one-handed or twohanded

One-handed signs e.g. salt

One handed signs that connect with the
body e.g. live
Sign Types
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
Two handed signs where both hands are
the same shape, active, perform the same
action without touching the body e.g.
bicycle

Two handed signs with identical
handshapes, identical actions and contact
each other e.g. talk
Sign Types – part 2
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
Two handed signs where both hands are
active, have the same shape, do identical
actions and contact the body e.g. cow

Two handed signs where dominant hand is
active, non-dominant hand serves as
location for the movement. May have
either same or different handshapes e.g.
butter
Sign Types – part 3
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Please revise everything from today and do
some further background reading.
Brief mock exam on this unit in the next
class!
Homework
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See you on next lesson
Monday 7th April 2014 – at 6pm – 9pm
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