INTERCULTURAL AND SOCIOLINGUISTIC FEATURES OF BULGARIAN SIGN LANGUAGE

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.