In written languages like English, old words don’t die, but merely sleep undisturbed in a dictionary. In unwritten languages like BSL, if no-one uses the sign, it simply disappears. For example, signs such as PAWN-BROKER and COURTING are no longer in widespread use. Young people today would not need signs for these ideas, but would need signs such as MOBILE-PHONE, CD and DVD. Recent new concepts include communications technology, the national lottery, television soap operas and cochlear implants. Some signers might also stop using their own sign when they see a different sign used in the broadcast media.
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