Past and current trends in sign language research

Until very recently a large part of the research in sign linguistics concentrated on the similarities between spoken languages and sign languages. Today, the (presumed) uniqueness of sign languages is given increasingly more attention and it is not taken for granted any longer that spoken language research instruments (theories, categories, notions…) automatically ‘fit’ sign language research. As a result, sign language researchers are being confronted with a number of fundamental questions, such as questions about the nature of gestural–visual languages. It is shown here that their answers have implications beyond the domain of sign linguistics.