VOL. 53, BOOK 1, PART A, 2015, pp. 290 – 302 Full text (Bg)
Author: Slavina Lozanova, Ivelina Stoyanova
Affiliation: New Bulgarian University, Institute for Bulgarian Language, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Abstract
The paper presents the current state of the Bulgarian sign language, and in particular its sociolinguistic and cultural aspects. We outline the characteristics of communication in the Bulgarian deaf community, the social variations in the Bulgarian sign language, and its official status as defined in legal documents and official statements. The attempts towards the linguistic analysis of the Bulgarian sign language are discussed, which will open new opportunities in the education of hearing-impaired children and sign language interpreting.
Key words: Bulgarian sign language, deaf people, sign linguistics
