1. Fallacious arguments regarding BSL

2. Fallacious Argument 1: The person debating incorrectly assumes that British individuals with hearing communicate using English. British Deaf individuals communicate using Sign Language. This is an error of omitted information because the overwhelming majority of Deaf British people know English. They can read English, write English, speak English with variable clarity, and think internally in English. They can also lip read English with extraordinary skill. The first five dimensions of English language are ‘hear it’, ‘speak it’, ‘think it’, ‘read it’, ‘write it’, and the well established sixth is ‘lip-read it’. The only English language or English literature difficulty that we can be sure that a Deaf individual has is regarding ‘hear it’. Also we must accept that it is a difficulty with hearing English language, not a total inability, because deaf individuals usually gain great knowledge of the rhythm of spoken English. Rhythm is a sub category of hearing and the difference between hearing a rhythm and feeling a rhythm is insignificant. The correction should read: British individuals communicate using English. British Deaf individuals communicate using English, particularly English lip reading, and Sign Language. ‘Assuming that a British Deaf individual has no English is as wrong as assuming that I have no maths.’ - Bob

3. Fallacious argument 2: The person debating attempts to objectively compare the value of BSL and Welsh. This is a terrible intention that is previously confined to the mind of the individual who is grotesquely preoccupied with the comparison of mass produced disposable products. It is incredibly risky because if Welsh is of greater value, the 3 million Welsh people and all those with Welsh ancestry and all those who love Wales, will wonder whether insult was intended. No reputable British persons have advised the objective comparison of BSL and Welsh. There are formidably powerful arguments suggesting that communication is the greatest achievement of any human, based on the largest quantity of evidence that the human race has in 2010. It is well known that language is the bedrock on which culture is built. Language inspires literature, poetry, folk music, classical music, comedy, architecture, national inventions, scientific discovery, art, farming, heroic deeds and more. To summarise, language may be responsible for every achievement of humanity by the particular group of people who have it. Therefore calculating the objective value of any individual language is incredibly difficult and it could be considered futile. I believe we should not objectively compare the value of one language with another regardless of the popularity of the language. ‘I would not dare attempt to objectively compare the value of a tribal language with an established one eg. English’ – Bob

4. Fallacious argument 2 continued: Another problem with this fallacious argument is that a significant number of Deaf British are Welsh, living in Wales surrounded by the Welsh and proud of it. Deaf Welsh individuals might: consider BSL and Welsh to each have different value that cannot be added up on a calculator. This is because Welsh is culturally mega important to the Welsh, and BSL is culturally mega important to the British Deaf. Trying to objectively compare BSL and Welsh is a waste of time, and very rude. To a Deaf individual who is also Welsh, both have great value. We can consider value of a language for a specific individual (eg. Subjectively.) If we make such fallacious arguments there is a risk of us noticing the disability and missing the national identity of an individual. People with a disability have lost just one ability, but they suffer additionally if we unfairly assume that they are underdeveloped culturally and intellectually.