Who gave you your sign name?

[nope]

Another new friend and I were out with a group of hearing/terp friends. She asked me a lot of questions about myself and also asked my friends. After a few times together, she gave me an initialized sign that touches from my chin to my heart. She said it's because the things I say touch people's hearts. I am truly honored. I love it.

Aw - that's so complimentary! Who wouldn't love such a lovely name?

Is it alright to ask why people have specific sign names or is that seen as too personal?

 

[Bottesini]

Aw - that's so complimentary! Who wouldn't love such a lovely name?

Is it alright to ask why people have specific sign names or is that seen as too personal?

It's ok to ask.

 

[jillio]

My older (hearing) brother gave me my sign name. Our parents are deaf and use ASL and we're 2 years apart. My father tells me that when I was a baby that whenever he (my brother) heard me crying he would use the letter "R" and sign CRY and point to where-ever I was... my parents instantly knew it was me he was talking about and the sign stuck.
I personally would prefer adopting my father's sign name of "P" drawn across the chest as he used to play football for the Tennessee School for the Deaf way back when. But of course my chest isnt' as broad as his (was). Ah well.

That is such a cute story! Made me smile. I don't blame you for wanting to change it, though.

 

[kyleb]

Traditionally, and according to cultural norms of the deaf, sign names are not given by the hearing to the deaf, nor from hearing to hearing.

I think hearing people, IF they are culturally Deaf, should be allowed to give sign names. This segmentation does not seem very fair to me because, I think, sign language was originally invented as a way for HEARING people to communicate when their vocal cords didn't exist.

 

[Bottesini]

I think hearing people, IF they are culturally Deaf, should be allowed to give sign names. This segmentation does not seem very fair to me because, I think, sign language was originally invented as a way for HEARING people to communicate when their vocal cords didn't exist.

You have a source for that statement?

 

[kyleb]

You have a source for that statement?

There are numberous sources for my statement. Just to clarify, I meant that sign language was created by hearing people for the purpose of communicating amongst each other as a percusor to vocal language.

 

[Bottesini]

There are numberous sources for my statement. Just to clarify, I meant that sign language was created by hearing people for the purpose of communicating amongst each other as a percusor to vocal language.

OIC That does not seem to have much connection to today's Deaf culture.

Maybe these hearing people who want to give sign names could just give them to each other.

 

[CJB]

There are numberous sources for my statement. Just to clarify, I meant that sign language was created by hearing people for the purpose of communicating amongst each other as a percusor to vocal language.

I take it you're talking about the Spanish monks that took a vow of silence. They created a sign language to obey that vow.

ASL and many world sign languages arose from communities that had a high incidence of deafness. Martha's Vineyard and Al-Sayyid Bedouin are just two examples of this phenomenon.

 

[jillio]

I think hearing people, IF they are culturally Deaf, should be allowed to give sign names. This segmentation does not seem very fair to me because, I think, sign language was originally invented as a way for HEARING people to communicate when their vocal cords didn't exist.

You might want to check your ASL history.

 

[jillio]

OIC That does not seem to have much connection to today's Deaf culture.

Maybe these hearing people who want to give sign names could just give them to each other.

Exactly. We are talking about cultural norms and values. Gestural language preceeded spoken language as a feature of evolution, too, but that has nothing to do with Deaf Culture norms and traditions.

 

[Berry]

As my picture shows I do the clown bit, tie balloons, etc. When a D/deaf person comes along I sign to them. Deaf children who sign are very happy to have a clown who knows some signs. Asked what my name was by Deaf adults I fingerspelled Mike.

They laughed and initialized my first name and combined it with the sign for clown. So I guess I am Mike the Clown.

 

[Lissa]

I was never given a sign name

 

[nope]

As my picture shows I do the clown bit, tie balloons, etc. When a D/deaf person comes along I sign to them. Deaf children who sign are very happy to have a clown who knows some signs. Asked what my name was by Deaf adults I fingerspelled Mike.

They laughed and initialized my first name and combined it with the sign for clown. So I guess I am Mike the Clown.

And who wouldn't want to be Mike the Clown? Ha! I love that multiple people came up with the same name! It must really suit you, Mike the Clown.


I have yet another question for all of you (Let's be honest, I probably am an endless fountain of questions. Feel free to ban me when you get tired of answering ). When you introduce yourself to someone, do you first fingerspell your name and then show them your sign name, or do you just fingerspell your name and reserve the sign name for closer friends? Is a sign name something everyone uses or just a few loved ones... like a nickname?

 

[ASLtees]

HA this is one of my favorite stories to tell.....
When I was in HS
there was a new girl in school, she was very cute!
I was very interested and wanted to meet her.
After a few weeks I discovered she was Deaf.
I studied how to meet signs....
I became friends and yes we dated for a while.
I was very curious and kept asking questions about Deaf culture, and how you sign.......
Noticed she had established sign names for our friends.
One day I asked"whats by sign name"( my name is Troy BTW)
she showed me a T shaken(sign for toilet)
ME- clueless, thought COOL I HAVE A SIGN NAME!!!
one day met other deafies and introduced myself .... spell out T-R-O-Y , sign name TOILET.....deafies laugh....me confused
so later learn sign for bathroom and LAUGH MYSELF
been 17-18 years ago still LAUGH MYSELF =)

 

[Berry]

I don't normally give my sign name unless someone asks for it or if they show me their sign name.

I think that if someone wants to exchange sign names it is because they want to be friends.

 

[kyleb]

And who wouldn't want to be Mike the Clown? Ha! I love that multiple people came up with the same name! It must really suit you, Mike the Clown.


I have yet another question for all of you (Let's be honest, I probably am an endless fountain of questions. Feel free to ban me when you get tired of answering ). When you introduce yourself to someone, do you first fingerspell your name and then show them your sign name, or do you just fingerspell your name and reserve the sign name for closer friends? Is a sign name something everyone uses or just a few loved ones... like a nickname?

I give my sign name after I spell my first name normally.

 

[TWA]

I think hearing people, IF they are culturally Deaf, should be allowed to give sign names. This segmentation does not seem very fair to me because, I think, sign language was originally invented as a way for HEARING people to communicate when their vocal cords didn't exist.

When we talk about signing as a "language" with all the inherent properties that entails (morphology, phonology, grammar, etc.), sign language is created, sustained, and developed by the native signers of the group (whom are almost always Deaf).

Now, perhaps you are talking about prehistoric times? I've heard this theory hypothesized--that the human capacity for language evolved before the vocal folds, and thus prehistoric humans communicated using sign language. I have not seen much evidence for it though, but I'd be curious to learn about it. Seems very plausible. However, there is an opposing theory as well that claims the vocal folds evolved first, thus creating the capability for language.

 

[CJB]

I have always wondered why the person has to be Deaf to give a sign name, and not just a native signer. What about CODAs, who are just as fluent in ASL if not more than a lot of Deaf people? And does it really make sense to allow oral Deaf people, with little or no knowledge of ASL, to give out sign names?

In other words, isn't it fluency, and not deafness, that determines the ability to be familiar enough with the language to give a sign name?

 

[somedeafdudefromPNW]

It's like this CJB...

You wouldn't hire an American, who lived in Japan, or was born to Japanese parents.... to do a proper Japanese-style tattoo? Well, people do, but you get my drift?

Or a non-Polyenasian who was or wasn't raised in the islander culture to give you an authentic tribal tattoos?

 

[CJB]

It's like this CJB...

You wouldn't hire an American, who lived in Japan, or was born to Japanese parents.... to do a proper Japanese-style tattoo? Well, people do, but you get my drift?

Yeah, I would. A CODA is like an American who spent their entire childhood in Japan and was just as fluent in Japanese and knowledgeable about Japanese culture as genetically Japanese people. So I wouldn't mind hiring an American who spent their whole life in Japan to give me a Japanese tattoo.

It reminds me of a friend I have who is Korean-born and adopted from Korea but she spent her whole life in Norway. She speaks Norwegian fluently. She considers herself Norwegian. Would I trust her to tell me about Norwegian culture? Sure I would.

Does that make sense? I can understand the desire to have someone be fluent in ASL, but it seems to me that CODAs, who many times learn ASL before they even begin learning English, are just as comfortable with ASL as Deaf people.