Name Sign Question

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dorothy5664

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I was wondering if children (hearing or deaf) of deaf parents ever grow up and change their name signs. It was just something that popped into my head and I knew someone here would have the answer.
 
I would think some of them have too. I was first introduced into the Deaf community at about 8 years old by my best friend at the time who was CODA.

His family and their friends referred to me as Little Berry and to him as Need Spank. Okay, even though I grew to be 6' tall I could live with being called Little Berry, but I can't picture a 63 year old man out there somewhere being called "Need Spank".
 
Well that answers that question and makes perfect sense. I was just wondering, because I know that you cannot give yourself your own name sign when you become part of the Deaf Community and that very often they are based on characteristics. Thank you for your help.
 
Yes!!

Name signs change as you meet new people...

Usually, name signs aren't chosen by yourself, it is usually given by friends that are deaf (or an ASL teacher, interpreter, etc). Over time, you meet new people, they notice distinct charactertistics about you, and the sign changes.

My son has changed his 3 times within the last 4 years. I've changed mine once (but I'm not deaf).
 
nicknrm said:
Name signs change as you meet new people...

Usually, name signs aren't chosen by yourself, it is usually given by friends that are deaf (or an ASL teacher, interpreter, etc). Over time, you meet new people, they notice distinct charactertistics about you, and the sign changes.

My son has changed his 3 times within the last 4 years. I've changed mine once (but I'm not deaf)

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Click to expand...

Actually that happens. When I met Reject I was running with biker types. He was as oral as he wanted to be and most just thought he was the strong silent type. Didn't know he was deaf myself.

One day I was looking at a girl and wondering who she was. Without thinking about it I was making the "who" sign at my lips. He noticed and signed to me. At the time I was going as Nomad in the hearing world. When I told him my name sign was Berry signed at about the height my head was when I was about 8 he flipped me off and signed "Motorcycle" with an "n" handshape, and that is how he always referred to me after that.
 
Yes, their name signs can change.

Some signs are given because of something about that person when he/she is a kid.

I knew a girl whose sign name was related to the way her hair curled out. As she got older, her hair straightened out. So, there wasn't any significance of using the curve gesture. So, she changed it to a straight gesture.

I knew a guy whose name started with 'C'. He also had a hard time growing hair on one side of his mouth. If he let his facial hair grow out into a goatee, it looked like a 'C' with the bald spot on one side of his mouth. So, his sign name was a 'C' on his mouth. He eventually started growing hair. So, that 'C' became pointless. Also, he started meeting a lot of people with the same first name as his. He started referring himself by his last name. That's when he started using a sign name for his last name instead.

It varies on the individual.
 
The name sign bestowed upon me is - a "P" on the dwell sign - given because I am a type A personality. Most of the time I think it fits me, sadly or happily :giggle:

I have never known a person who said they changed their name sign, this is interesting.
 
ASLGAL said:
The name sign bestowed upon me is - a "P" on the dwell sign - given because I am a type A personality. Most of the time I think it fits me, sadly or happily :giggle:

I have never known a person who said they changed their name sign, this is interesting.
Click to expand...
I know of a few who have completely changed or slightly modified their name signs.
 
I seem to remember Sam Supalla's research on name signs indicates that arbitrary name signs (ANS) are more common than descriptive name signs (DNS) but I don't have his book in front of me to check.
 
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