Swedish Sign Language as a Second Language: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives

Abstract

Sweden was one of the first countries in the world to officially recognize a signed language as a language. In 1981, Swedish Sign Language (SSL) was recognized in a government bill (Proposition, 1980/81:100). This recognition, in turn, had major consequences for the acknowledgement of SSL as the first language of deaf children, and also increased the need for formal courses in SSL. This chapter will mainly provide a historical description of the teaching and learning of SSL as a second language (L2) during the late 20th and early 21st century. In light of recent technical developments like, for instance, cochlear implants, some future considerations for SSL, both as a first language (L1) and as L2, will also be discussed, as will changes in the signing community in Sweden.