This question is meant as a question for discussion, as the answer may, to some extent, depend on the situation in the respective country. Also, the issue of youth language (as an instance of variation) has not been explicitly addressed in the chapter. It is, of course, expected that youth language exists among young Deaf people just as it exists among young hearing people. Still, one may wonder whether specific characteristics of Deaf peer groups and of Deaf education lead to a different effect of youth culture in Deaf communities.

This might actually go both ways. If there is a tightly knit Deaf peer group, e.g. at a school for the Deaf, then this may be an extremely important source for the creation of new, youth-specific forms. Also, recent technological advances, such as social media and internet, create considerable new opportunities for exchange, that is, for dissemination of these new forms. In this way, the youth culture may have a comparably strong effect on the Deaf community as a whole. However, in many countries, Deaf education has recently undergone significant changes, which may also have had an impact on the formation of Deaf peer groups. What effects these changes in Deaf education, as well as the influence of inclusion, will have (or have had) on the language of young Deaf people is at present largely unknown.

The students are encouraged to investigate these issues in their own country. It might even be informative (and fun) to interview Deaf youngsters in order to learn about youth-specific signs.