Evolution of BSL

Ramon Woolfe finds out how sign language has evolved

23m 46s

Documentary (2012)about the evolution of British Sign Language (BSL). Presenter Ramon Woolfe takes us on a journey into the development of BSL, as seen through the eyes of of his relatives - Ramon is the eighth generation of his family to be born Deaf. We meet Ramon’s grandmother, who refers to her sign language as ‘ordinary sign language’ while his mother shows how she uses BSL with less English influence. We find out about attempts to preserve regional signs through Ramon’s father, and also meet leading figures in the Deaf community, the media and academia to find out about the history of the language, and what the future might hold.