In 1836, 17 miniature coffins were discovered by children as they played in the park. Watch Trudi’s sign language story of the moment they found their way into the cave, then discover how she uses British Sign Language (BSL) to bring the tale to life.
The story of the Holyrood Coffins
Discover the story of 17 mysterious coffins in BSL, found in Holyrood Park by children in 1836.
Taking on characters in BSL
BSL linguist Robert Adam explains how people take on characters to tell stories in sign language.
Using classifiers in BSL
Robert describes how hand shapes are used to add descriptive detail in sign language.
Role shift in BSL
Robert describes how signers use constructed action or role shift to take on the roles of their characters as they tell stories in sign language.
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A partnership project
This project has been produced in partnership between Historic Environment Scotland and King’s College London, and aims to raise awareness of the performative richness of BSL as a visual language.