Meaning & use
BSL
Last updated
Meanings
abbreviationuncountable
British Sign Language: the sign language used by many deaf people in the UK.
Grammar: Used as a name, so it takes no article: 'She uses BSL', not 'the BSL'.
Patterns
- use BSL
- learn BSL
- an interpreter for BSL
My cousin is deaf and communicates in BSL.
The theatre offers BSL interpretation at some performances.
She has been learning BSL for two years.
abbreviationcountabletechnicalbiology
Biosafety level: a lab safety rating from 1 (low risk) to 4 (highest risk).
Grammar: Often written with a number: 'a BSL-4 laboratory'.
Patterns
- BSL-4 laboratory
- work at BSL-3
The virus must be studied in a BSL-4 lab.
Technicians at BSL-3 wear special protective suits.
Common combinations
- BSL interpreter
- A BSL interpreter stood beside the speaker.
- BSL user
- Many BSL users prefer to sign rather than speak.
- learn BSL
- He decided to learn BSL to talk with his neighbor.
- BSL-4 laboratory
- Only a few BSL-4 laboratories exist in the country.
Synonyms and how they differ
- British Sign Language
- The full form; use it in formal writing or when your reader may not know the abbreviation.
- sign language
- A general term for any sign language; BSL is the specific British one, so 'sign language' is vaguer.
Commonly confused: BSL or ASL? BSL or BS?
BSL vs ASL
ASL is American Sign Language, a different sign language from BSL.
BSL vs BS
BS usually means Bachelor of Science or, informally, nonsense; it is not the same as BSL.
Practice
What does 'BSL' most commonly mean in the UK?
Choose one answer.
In the UK, BSL is the usual abbreviation for British Sign Language. The other options are made-up or not standard uses of this abbreviation.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “BSL”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.