How to sign "plastic"

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tsmullins

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Does anyone know the sign for plastic?
 
I'm in the Midwest and there isn't an ASL sign for plastic. The SEE sign they use here is the letter 'P' while signing "rubber".

A friend and I went to the grocery store. The cashier was HoH and the three of us conversed in ASL. A grocery bagger came up and used the SEE plastic sign. Here's the conversation:

DF - deaf friend
C - cashier
ME - me!

DF - "Who is <plastic sign>?"
ME - "I don't know."
DF to C - "Who is <plastic sign>?"
C - "Her sign for plastic."
DF - "There's no ASL sign for plastic."
C - "Yes, I know. But the store showed the baggers the SEE sign."
DF - "But deaf people don't use that sign. We fingerspell plastic."
C - "I know. I know."

Later that week, friend and I were talking with other deaf people. Friend told the people about the grocery store and its sign for plastic. Someone in the group said she wasn't really sure what they were signing but took a guess at plastic. The topic ended when someone said, "Funny hearies" and the group laughed.
 
Daft said:
I'm in the Midwest and there isn't an ASL sign for plastic. The SEE sign they use here is the letter 'P' while signing "rubber".

A friend and I went to the grocery store. The cashier was HoH and the three of us conversed in ASL. A grocery bagger came up and used the SEE plastic sign. Here's the conversation:

DF - deaf friend
C - cashier
ME - me!

DF - "Who is <plastic sign>?"
ME - "I don't know."
DF to C - "Who is <plastic sign>?"
C - "Her sign for plastic."
DF - "There's no ASL sign for plastic."
C - "Yes, I know. But the store showed the baggers the SEE sign."
DF - "But deaf people don't use that sign. We fingerspell plastic."
C - "I know. I know."

Later that week, friend and I were talking with other deaf people. Friend told the people about the grocery store and its sign for plastic. Someone in the group said she wasn't really sure what they were signing but took a guess at plastic. The topic ended when someone said, "Funny hearies" and the group laughed.
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I am in the Midwest. Yes there is more than one ASL sign for plastic. I am deaf. Maybe you should sign up for an ASL course at your local deaf center.
 
I am in the Midwest. Yes there is more than one ASL sign for plastic. I am deaf. Maybe you should sign up for an ASL course at your local deaf center.
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Maybe in your region of the Midwest there is more than one ASL sign for plastic, but not where I live - there isn't any. And if you ask a member of the deaf community, they will tell you it has to be spelled.
 
Daft said:
Maybe in your region of the Midwest there is more than one ASL sign for plastic, but not where I live - there isn't any. And if you ask a member of the deaf community, they will tell you it has to be spelled.
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Okay.....
 
The sign shown in Juli's post is the sign we use for glass or porcelain.
 
posts from hell said:
there is no "real" ASL sign for plastic, to be honest...
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I will take your word for it here, but it is in Sternberg's dictionary. The sign I described at the top is in Sternberg's dictionary.

My ASL teacher of the present day is Deaf and doesn't believe in SEE.

This is the sign I learned.

So bacically I think I am right, but I politely defer to you.
 
One problem with assigning a conceptually accurate sign to "plastic" is that there are different kinds of plastic.

The adjective plastic means something that is pliable, so the concept would be flexibility.

However, some plastic products are hard, which is probably why SigningSavvy uses the GLASS concept.

Then you have a plastic bag, as in "paper or plastic?" which is a soft product.

For accuracy, spelling is probably the best way to go.

Of course, if a common sign for PLASTIC is accepted and used within my local community then I would go with it.

However, if the sign is the result of SEE creativity by a hearing teacher or terp, I would be wary of it.

Just my 2 cents. :)
 
Reba said:
AllDeaf.com - View Single Post - Sign for Plastic?
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The sign for plastic is kind of like sign for "false." Do a P (kind of looks like a K) on your cheek (forward and forth) repeatedly Follow me?
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From the old thread Reba posted, Brian, Alley Cat and Chevy57 , all from the Midwest, use the above described sign, which is different from the one I described, but shows there are at least a couple of signs accepted for "plastic " in the Midwest.
 
There are a lot of signs which are used in some areas and not in others. It looks as if "plastic" is one of them.
 
There is a sign for plastic. ASL does have a sign for plastic. I can't describe it well in words, but here's my try.

Hold your left hand out in front of you with it closed. Put your right index finger in front your hand. Move it back and forth towards and away from your body keeping your finger on the other hand.


The one you all described with the P works too. Its better to sign like I said though, without the P. Without the P would be less like Signed English.
 
Reba said:
The adjective plastic means something that is pliable, so the concept would be flexibility.
Click to expand...

Which is why the sign for plastic moves, is flexing, etc.. like plastic can.

You are thinking in English though. That is all English not ASL.
 
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