What legal recognition?: what does the official language declaration concerning sign language consist of?

Abstract

Within the scope of the article “Essential framework of the legal status of sign language: recognition and officiality”, published in the Revista de Llengua i Dret, Journal of Language and Law, this post aims to clarify the meaning and scope of legal recognition and, not least, the content inherent to an official language declaration. A central question is whether the legal status of a sign language regulated by a State in its respective national legal system complies with the parameters defined by international legal instruments such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). What are the criteria for determining whether the legal status of a national sign language is compatible with these criteria? What does “recognition” mean under the UNCRPD? Is it equivalent to a polysemic concept of the term official language? What constitutes an official language?