How do you feel about hearies making up signs. I see Deafies do it all the time then say, well that is my sign for it. I might do a variation of a sign to put my personality in it but I haven’t “made up” a sign for something. Do you not really care or is that something you feel only a Deaf person should do?
How do you feel.......
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Welll, that's depends if they're trying to learn, but if they're mocking or making fun of my signs, then that's another story....My children are trying to learn signs everyday, sometimes my little one would make up a sign just to get me to understand him...it was soo cute , so I don't mind if someone is at least trying to talk to me by making up a few signs, that's ok, as long they don't go overboard with it....
christlovedeaf
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I second that, it's dependable, as like my girls when they are little, they try to tell me something then I can teach what that signs for. Now, for hearies, is dependable. If they genuinely want to know what that sign is, then that will be good. Sometimes, have to let them know what's actual sign, bec they may not know the accurate sign.
Well I mean in the course of conversation and you ask okay what is the sign for that…. Then the person fingerspells it because there is no sign for it. Is it okay for a hearing person to make up a sign at that point? Or if it is one of those signs that have several English words that correspond with it. Such as I asked of there is a sign for “glamorous” and the consensus is that the sign for “fancy” is what is used. What if you want to create a sign to better articulate how you look at a concept and the available sign doesn’t convey the point you are trying to make as clear as you see it? To me yes fancy and glamorous are basically the same thing, but in my mind there is a difference. Glamorous feels like 1930’s Hollywood. Fancy feels like Victorian New York. It is how I see the two words. Really they are interchangeable but how I use them and the way I feel when using them is different.
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As an interpreter, I don't like running into "made up" signs, especially when voicing. Some Deaf consumers expect me to recognize every made up sign they use. Sorry, I didn't know that was your personal sign for Belks Department Store or Citgo Gas or Dorchester Road or Bosch Manufacturing or Honda Civic. :roll:
If we have to "invent" a sign for classroom use only, then the Deaf student and I discuss it, and agree on a sign. I don't create a sign myself, and then tell the student, "this is the sign I use for this term, like it or lump it."
If we have to "invent" a sign for classroom use only, then the Deaf student and I discuss it, and agree on a sign. I don't create a sign myself, and then tell the student, "this is the sign I use for this term, like it or lump it."
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I don't suggest making up signs. Just because you don't know an ASL way to describe something doesn't mean you can create a sign to fit your need. Even if you think you've created an appropriate sign, what good is it if other people don't understand it? Communication must be two-way, or else it's not communication.
Sometimes it's not a one-sign = one-word. You need to add more. Just as you posted what "glamorous" means to you, you can do that with ASL. Describe it. If you want to spell it, go ahead. Then, sign "YOU KNOW?" Then, using signs, describe 1930's Hollywood movie stars' clothing, decor, cars, etc. Show 30's glamor attitude. Strike a pose or give an example.
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Ha, ha, yeah!
I especially love (NOT) when a Deafie moves from another state, and uses the name signs of people from that state, and expects me to know who they are. Sometimes I have to tell him/her, "Sorry, I never met 'T-on-the-heart', so I don't know the name or person." Then he/she looks at me like, "What a stupid terp!" And then he/she says, "That was my teacher in second grade in Idaho; everyone knows her!"
Or, I say "Sorry, I don't know that restaurant 'X-T-in-a-circle' in Chicago." He/she says, "You mean people in Charleston don't know that restaurant? Everyone in Chicago goes there!"
Whatever. :roll:
jillio
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Regionality refers to variation, not a different sign altogether. It's like dialect in spoken language--same word, but the pronunciation varies.
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I wouldn't say "most" signs; I'd say some. Even then, ASL signs still follow ASL rules, and some are variations rather than completely new signs. Sometimes regional signs reflect a cultural difference.
Some Deafies from the North, moved to the South, sign "CANDY" like "SOUR". Native Southerners use the sign like "SUGAR". Why? Maybe because Southerners prefer sweeter taste. (Southerners drink "sweet tea", that is ice tea brewed with lots of sugar; Northerners drink unsweetened ice tea, or add sweetner when it's served.)
christlovedeaf
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ahahaha yupper, since I was from Okla. as candy, and Ohio sign different. Also, here in Ohio don't sign the same with what and where, look switch. And here in Ohio never seen the sign I use for "instant" ( left hand like a 5, right hand like a "L", the L moved toward the middle left palm speedy way. And also like "can't , here never seen me use like "(sign) 1" then it twist bent, Like 1 turn into X as the word can't. Arkansas sign early same as rooster. Someplace in the south sign birthday as a bonnett. There is different way of signing in different states.
bluesugar182001
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my both sons are taking time to learn to sign lanaguages.. but my last son he is pretty good learning to communicate with us... i have to push my kids able to learn to sign lanaguages... no matter what ur age can learn it or not it is depend.... Like hearing ppls i have friend name is Bryan Norvell he is great learning sign lanaguages he just perfect like deaf ppls wow.. it is depend on hearing ppls are guess what deaf ppls are talking about.......
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It's perfectly acceptable to make up "nonce signs," which are used for a particular conversation or longer term, such as a classroom situation where neither interpreter nor student knows the "real" sign (if there is one), and agree upon a sign they will use, like Reba described.
I've had this exchange with both hearing and deaf signers many times:
"What's the sign for xxxxxx?"
"I have no idea. Fingerspell?"
"Okay, I'm going to sign it like this."
But the thing is, after that conversation is over, I don't use that sign again. It's just a way to keep my hand from falling off from fingerspelling something over and over again.
I've had this exchange with both hearing and deaf signers many times:
"What's the sign for xxxxxx?"
"I have no idea. Fingerspell?"
"Okay, I'm going to sign it like this."
But the thing is, after that conversation is over, I don't use that sign again. It's just a way to keep my hand from falling off from fingerspelling something over and over again.
Silentwolfdog
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Is that make up sign usually called "home sign"? There's some signs I know that were made up, but I know that not everyone will know it. It's pretty much common sense of when you use it and when you don't. You don't use make up signs at school, otherwise interpreters will have no idea what you are talking about. My interpreters make up signs for certain words in classes, but only for those classes. As soon as my semester's done, the interpreters stop using that and go back to fingerspell for other clients. I see nothing wrong with that, it saves both of our time.
trish_e87
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Hi I hope you don't mind me being here. I am a hearing person. I am interested in learning sign language. I am taking a class right now.
I don't think that it is a good idea for us hearing people to make up signs unless we would only use them toward certain people who knew what it meant. Because I think that if people made up new signs it would confuse deaf because they wouldn't know what that means unless we told them. I would perfer to just fingerspell it because then you don't have all the confusion. I wouldn't feel right making up signs anyhow.
I don't think that it is a good idea for us hearing people to make up signs unless we would only use them toward certain people who knew what it meant. Because I think that if people made up new signs it would confuse deaf because they wouldn't know what that means unless we told them. I would perfer to just fingerspell it because then you don't have all the confusion. I wouldn't feel right making up signs anyhow.
Yeah i have heard them called home signs before. Infact i have heard that some codas have difficulty learning ASL to become terps because they use so many home signs. I wouldn't use them with people who aren't aware. I use a lot of slang with certain friends, i don't use it with my parents they'd have no idea what i am talking about. My mom is a sunday school teacher and part of her normal conversation has bible references in it. I understand perfectly but some one else would have trouble understanding where we are coming from. Same with gay terms, i don't use them with straight people because they just don't know what they mean. If i made up a sign it would be for me and certain people not for every Deafie me meet.
If one person doesn't know i usually ask another, and if they are unsure but give me an answer, i will ask another person and so on. If everyone pretty much agrees, or if they send me to an "ASL" person to ask then i know the sign. What i mean by that is i have been in conversations where some one is talking about another person and they say "oh she is so ASL", or "WOW he is very ASL", or "you want to ask her she is better ASL than me" once i get the idea i use that sign. If no one knows then we fingerspell it. Sometimes i have seen people fingerspell because they hated the sign. I think it is more difficult to fingerspell something but people have said, "Yeah that is the sign for it but i hate it so i fingerspell it"
I would be hesistant on making up signs for new words just because there is no sign for it. It's sometimes a good idea to contextualise what you are talking about in ASL and to go from there. Some people think it is too much work, but that is what I always do. I prefer to think in picture, or actions rather than spelling outright what I mean, or following English word order. Oftimes in my ASL lab, I get bored listening to students telling stories in pure English order with no pictures and actions. I try to tell them to become actors in their stories and to act the story out or to draw pictures out with classifiers. It is a very difficult concept for many hearing (and deaf) people to grasp.
Well that is something I definitely don’t have a problem with! LOL when I am telling a story if I need props costumes pyrotechnics I use them! LOL well not really but I am very animated anyway and sometimes things are just funnier or serious or heart touching when you are more physical with in, instead of just telling a story. I am very very expressive.
If I made up a sign I wouldn’t tell hearing people how are learning, “oh this is the sign for that” if I made it up. I would tell them that you have to fingerspell it.
Here is a word a hearing friend told me years ago and I love it, but I don’t use it as much as I used to because the people who know it I am no longer around. It means magnificent but really we didn’t use it for that. Below is the word and our meaning for it.
Splendiferous = splendid wonderful and delicious…. SPLENDIFEROUS
If I made up a sign I wouldn’t tell hearing people how are learning, “oh this is the sign for that” if I made it up. I would tell them that you have to fingerspell it.
Here is a word a hearing friend told me years ago and I love it, but I don’t use it as much as I used to because the people who know it I am no longer around. It means magnificent but really we didn’t use it for that. Below is the word and our meaning for it.
Splendiferous = splendid wonderful and delicious…. SPLENDIFEROUS