There are more than 300 different sign languages around the world. Each Spanish-speaking country has its own sign language. Deaf people in the UK and US might share the same written language, but their sign languages come from different language families. Some sign languages were developed recently, giving linguists an unprecedented opportunity to study how a language emerges. This course explores different sign languages and how they have been shaped by social, cultural, and political factors. It also examines how studying different perspectives on sign language may inform linguistics, disability studies, and other areas of study.
