Original version

BBC World Service East Asia

Witness History

Podcasts

Factual: Life Stories

Factual: History

History as told by the people who were there

History as told by the people who were there.

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service News Internet

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

Witness History: Witnessing the birth of a new language

Documentaries

Witnessing the birth of a new language

05/02/2020 GMT

BBC World Service - Witness History, Witnessing the birth of a new language

In the 1980s deaf children in Nicaragua invented a completely new sign language

How linguists were given the unique opportunity to study the emergence of a new sign language among deaf children in Nicaragua in the 1980s.

In the early 1980s deaf children in Nicaragua invented a completely new sign language of their own. It was a remarkable achievement, which allowed experts a unique insight into how human communication develops. Mike Lanchin has been speaking to American linguist Judy Shepard-Kegl, who documented this process and says "our belief is that you are born with a language-ready brain". 

(Photo credit should read INTI OCON/AFP via Getty Images)

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Witness History

Witnessing the birth of a new language

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service East Asia

About BBC World Service