| Unit name | Sociolinguistics of Sign Language |
|---|---|
| Unit code | DEAFM1019 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Sutton-Spence |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Centre for Deaf Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
The unit will consider the relationship between language and society, exploring diachronic and synchronic sign language variation. Social and regional dialects and situational variants will be identified and described in a range of sign languages and the reasons for their differences considered. The relationship between signed and spoken languages will be discussed, with particular reference to the effect of bilingualism and the status of an unwritten minority language on sign language phonology, vocabulary and grammar. Theories relating to sociolinguistics in spoken languages will be critically examined in the light of evidence from signed languages.
