Lumping and splitting: Sign language delineation and ideologies of linguistic differentiation

Abstract

This dialogue addresses practices of delineation and linguistic differentiation within sign language sociolinguistics, and covers the authors' experiences of delimiting sign language varieties in different contexts. The authors review efforts to use lexical comparison for determining the relationship between sign language varieties, and highlight the importance of analysing the ideologies in signing communities themselves. Their discussion includes the (often controversial) examples of sign language varieties in Indonesia, grouping BSL-influenced languages together as BANZSL (British, Australian, and New Zealand Sign Language), and the naming of ASL-influenced sign languages used outside of the US.