No topic within sociolinguistics reflects the growth of the field more symbolically than the study of the sociolinguistics of sign languages. Less than half a century ago, the fundamental debate centered on the rightful place of sign languages with a complete set of linguistic structures and full range of natural language entitlements. Such debates were, of course, framed by the ideology of linguistic subordination, in which difference was equated with deficit and legitimacy was defined by dominance. Happily, but not without continued vigilance, the study of sign languages has now developed a full-course sociolinguistic menu, with ample offerings in all of the major areas of specialization now subsumed under the general rubric of sociolinguistics.

The essays in this collection represent a full complement of sociolinguistic topics, including both macro-variables that relate to broader situations external to the community and micro-variables that focus on specific factors affecting particular language events and interactions. On a macro-level, we witness concern for the distribution and roles of sign languages throughout the world, and the influence of political, economic, social and ideological conditions on their existence. Familiar sociolinguistic topics include issues related to multilingualism, language choice and shift, language policy and planning and language ecology. The issues are at once both basic and complex. On the most fundamental level, we still find the existence of an assumed correlation between sign language and national boundaries and/or spoken-language families manifested in the nomenclature of sign languages: a continuing reflection of a legacy of erroneous assumptions and underlying language ideology about sign languages.