News
“BSL – it’s just like mime?”
Tuesday 5th November 2024
Penny Gunn
Hearing people when they see Deaf people like me signing for the first time will often comment on how animated BSL looks - some describe it like a mime performance.
Both mime and BSL use visual movements, gestures and facial expressions. However, they serve different purposes and follow different rules. Mime is about telling a story, I would suggest, in exaggerated physical movements, BSL, however, is a complete and structured language (mainly used by Deaf people in the UK). And as one person commented to me the other day, if you were designing a language you would come up with BSL because it is so visual.
Here are two techniques which show how beautiful - and simple - the language can be.
Placements
This is where people, concepts and objects are “placed” in the signing space. You can think of the signing space as a picture frame which stretches from just above your head to just below your waist and then out to each side just beyond your elbows. In the signing space, for example using the placement technique I could sign my friend’s name and “place” them on my left and then sign another friend’s name and “place” them on my right.
I can then refer to my friends by pointing to where I have “placed” them in the air. Clever and quick. I don’t have to spell or sign their names each time I refer to them. Placements can also be used for places, objects and concepts in the signing space.
Role Shift
People also love the Role Shift concept when I explain it to them. It’s easier to show you in real life but if I was relaying a story about an earlier conversation with a mechanic, you would see me shift position and talk to them as if they were there. I act out the original conversation with you being an onlooker. I can also bring in other characters into the story I am relaying. Using Role Shift, I can show emotions, reactions and even thoughts. I do this by changing eye gaze, expressions and posture.
Combining Placement and Role Shift
In BSL, we can combine Placement and Role Shift together to make a truly visual and rich experience. These techniques can make conversations more engaging and clearer. I would also add that they make conversations easier to follow. So BSL is certainly not mine and it is better to see in real life.
Do get in touch and me - and my team - would love to show (and hopefully teach) you, our fantastic language. And do take a look at our courses if you are interested in or want to improve your signing skills.