This textbook provides support for learners of British Sign Language (BSL) and others interested in the structure and use of BSL, and assumes no previous knowledge of linguistics or sign language; technical terms and linguistic jargon are kept to a minimum. The text contains many examples from English, BSL, and other spoken and signed languages, and has over 300 illustrations. Chapters address these topics: an overview of linguistics and sign linguistics; BSL in its social context; constructing sign sentences; questions and negation; mouth patterns and other non-manual features in BSL; morphology and morphemes in BSL; aspect, manner, and mood; space types and verb types in BSL; the structure of gestures and signs; visual motivation and metaphor; the established and productive lexicons; borrowing and name signs; socially unacceptable signs; and extended use of language in BSL. The book contains an index of signs and sign phrases. There are also exercises and a reading list for further independent study. (MSE)