Nick Palfreyman is a deaf researcher and academic whose work focuses on sociolinguistics, sign language typology, applied linguistics, corpus linguistics, and international development. He serves as a Reader in Sign Languages and Deaf Studies at the University of Central Lancashire and co-directs the International Institute for Sign Languages and Deaf Studies (iSLanDS), being particularly noted for his work with the Indonesian deaf community.
Research and Career
Nick Palfreyman earned a PhD in Sign Linguistics and Deaf Studies from the University of Central Lancashire in 2015, expanding upon a BA in History from Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge (2004)[1]. He is a deaf scholar committed to engaging with deaf communities and conducting research that fosters empowerment, agency, and capacity building through community-based approaches.
Since 2007, Palfreyman has been deeply involved in work with the Indonesian deaf community, applying Labovian and third-wave sociolinguistic approaches, and exploring sign language typology and teaching methods grounded in corpus linguistics[1].
His first monograph analyzes BISINDO varieties, investigating grammaticalization in the expression of completion and negation. This work is underpinned by a conversational corpus created with local deaf researchers[1].
Palfreyman also leads and contributes to a number of research projects, including:
- “Variation in Indonesian Sign Language: A Typological and Sociolinguistic Analysis” (2010–2015);
- “Raising the sign language capacity of the academic community and the deaf community” (2017);
- “Patterns of variation and local identities in Indonesian sign language varieties” (2016–2019)[1].
Community Engagement and Academic Service
Palfreyman is known for his commitment to community engagement. In December 2014, he delivered a workshop on leadership and organizational development in Lucknow, engaging deaf participants from India, Nepal, Jordan, Indonesia, Uganda, and Burundi. In 2019, he delivered modules on sign language variation and academic writing at the first African Summer School for Deaf Studies in Accra, Ghana. That same year, he hosted a symposium on sociolinguistic variation in signed and spoken languages of the Asia-Pacific region, which catalyzed a special issue of the journal Asia-Pacific Language Variation[1].
He also co-coordinates the SIGN Conference series, which has been held in Turkey, India, China, Brazil, and Poland[1].
Research Projects and Corpus Work
His BISINDO corpus includes over 46,000 tokens collected across several Indonesian cities—Padang, Pontianak, Solo, Singaraja, Makassar, and Ambon. The corpus is transcribed and currently undergoing annotation. Analyses focus on grammaticalization, variation, and ethical considerations in data collection, as well as the implications for sign language teaching and development[1].
- University of Central Lancashire. (n.d.). Nick Palfreyman – Academic Staff. University of Lancashire.
