Specialized language, of political and institutional nature, abounds in television news broadcasts and is firstly, transferred directly from the news reporter to listener aurally and secondly, is enhanced by additional visual/aural semiotic input. Identity traits, embedded within the discourse, are thus transmitted and perceived. The author attempts to compare television news broadcasts for Italian hearing adults perceived through sound and images, with those received by members of the Italian Deaf community through images alone, mainly in the form of Italian Sign Language (LIS).
