What does this sign/use of classifier mean (ASL)?

SimplyMints said:
I'm sorry, but I've been searching high and low for the meaning of this. I see it so often. I think it may be a few examples of the use of a classifier, but as far as I know, it's a series of related signs. Let me try to describe an example. If it's my classifier theory, it makes use of the "A" classifier. So here's what I'm trying to figure out: Take your stationary hand .. er, secondary hand .. this hand won't move. It's palm up claw hand. I call it a finger nest, so nobody knows what I'm talking about, but the palm-up claw is essentially what it is. Now take the "A" classifier with the thumb pointing up, and rest it on the palm of the claw hand. I see this and variations of it all the time, and when I ask what it is, nobody can understand my question. Can any of you give me some examples of what this might mean? Sorry if this is a bit winded.
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Have you looked at the video signs at ASLbrowser.com or ASLPRO.com to see if the HELP sign matches your description?
 
Reba said:
Have you looked at the video signs at ASLbrowser.com or ASLPRO.com to see if the HELP sign matches your description?
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The ASLbrower dictionary requires me to enroll, ASLPRO always says the website does not exist (and I've been trying for many months because people are always referring me to it), but as I mentioned, I'm fluent in SEE, and I've taken a year of ASL, and am now learing ASL from lifeprint, and so have seen the help sign many times from many sources, all represented in the same way, and I've never seen it where it would reorientate the second hand in relation to the A, such as in my example where the A would be resting on the back of the hand. The thumb of the A is always up, and never closed, and never an S.

However, when I went back on youtube to get that video where I saw this most recently, the video had been removed by the user, so unfortunately, I can't show it to you until I find another one =/

It just occurred to me, I wonder if this means "out in the open" or "un-hidden" or "for all to see" or some such thing. The opposite of "hidden" .. I'm talking about the one with the palm-down flat hand with the classifier-looking A resting on top of it. I wish that video was still there so I could see if that made sense in context.
 
Good morning, I am back.

Gear=One sign is left hand held out, a little cupped, what I think you might call a clawed right hand kind of makes a motion like screwing on a jar lid into it.

Equipment= "E" hand, held palm up, moves to the right in a series of small arched movements.

American Sign Language Dictionary by Martin Sternberg is a really good dictionary and you can buy it on Amazon.

And I am not trying to put you off asking questions, I am happy to answer any that I can, but you could get the answers much faster through that book. If you go to Gallaudet you are pretty sure to need it anyway.:)
 
Bottesini said:
Good morning, I am back.

Gear=One sign is left hand held out, a little cupped, what I think you might call a clawed right hand kind of makes a motion like screwing on a jar lid into it.

Equipment= "E" hand, held palm up, moves to the right in a series of small arched movements.

American Sign Language Dictionary by Martin Sternberg is a really good dictionary and you can buy it on Amazon.

And I am not trying to put you off asking questions, I am happy to answer any that I can, but you could get the answers much faster through that book. If you go to Gallaudet you are pretty sure to need it anyway.:)
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Thanks, that sounds like a great recommendation! I know I've used my SEE dictionary a lot, and so I know I'll be glad to use an ASL equivalent! :)

For the moment, gear, I'm screwing like a jar lid into the palm of my hand? I just had to make sure since I can make conceptual gestures, but didn't want to accidentally sign "orgasm" :giggle:

Equipment .. sounds very much like the SEE sign for it, which I didn't expect since it's initialised "thing" repeated in a row. Thanks :)
 
SimplyMints said:
Cool, I guess it must be help :Oops:

What if the A is sitting on the back of a palm-down flat hand? I thought it was a classifier because I thought this was a variation of it.
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Putting an A onto a palm down hand while twisting the wrist of the A hand is the sign I know for set as in setting tables or placing other things. It's in ASLpro, try this link, which works for me.
 
RedFox said:
Putting an A onto a palm down hand while twisting the wrist of the A hand is the sign I know for set as in setting tables or placing other things. It's in ASLpro, try this link, which works for me.
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That link doesn't work for me. I've tried approaching that website from all angles, and I just can't get to it. Just always says "Failure to connect to web server."

But thanks :)
 
Hmmm, I wish I had a list of all these variations because it seems like they're all turning out to be separate real signs and not just classifiers.

Thanks for your help everybody!

And yes, that's the sign I know for set also, but the way this girl was signing it made the thumb print face forward, and when I sign "set" I kind of turn the A around so the thumb is more or less facing me or facing to the side (sort of depending upon what my next sign is gonna be, hehe). But she may have meant set. Again, I can't check it for context because she removed her video, unfortunately. ASL has a lot more variation than I'm used to, and I'm just gonna have to get used to that because I want it to become my primary language at some point in my future.
 
SimplyMints said:
The ASLbrower dictionary requires me to enroll, ASLPRO always says the website does not exist (and I've been trying for many months because people are always referring me to it)
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That is bizarre. I've used aslpro.com and ASL Browser from various computers, on IE and Firefox, with no problems, and I've never had to register. I just checked both sites a few minutes ago, and they are up and running fine. If you can access those sites they could answer many of your questions.


... I've never seen it where it would reorientate the second hand in relation to the A, such as in my example where the A would be resting on the back of the hand. The thumb of the A is always up, and never closed, and never an S.
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Oh, on the back of the hand, not in the palm?

However, when I went back on youtube to get that video where I saw this most recently, the video had been removed by the user, so unfortunately, I can't show it to you until I find another one =/
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Can you remember the topic or any of the context of the video?

It just occurred to me, I wonder if this means "out in the open" or "un-hidden" or "for all to see" or some such thing. The opposite of "hidden" .. I'm talking about the one with the palm-down flat hand with the classifier-looking A resting on top of it. I wish that video was still there so I could see if that made sense in context.
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I'm getting confused about your description.

Did the dominant "A" hand just rest on the non-dominant palm-down flat-hand? Or did the "A" hand make a circular motion then land on the back of the non-dominant hand? If it was the latter, it could be a form of ESTABLISH. If it was the former, it could be an object that the A classifier represents, sitting on a shelf or something similar.
 
SimplyMints said:
Hmmm, maybe while we're waiting, somebody could tell me how to express a couple of concepts that in English I would use the word "gear" .. the first concept being the pegged wheel that turns a clock mechanism, a chain on a bike, a belt or wheel on a car, the gear shift on a bike or a car, things like that.
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For shifting the gears in a car, you can sign that by keeping your left hand on the steering wheel, and shifting thru the gears with your right hand (more of a miming action).

The second being like reusable stuff that you take with you for certain tasks, such as camping gear, climbing gear, combat gear, etc. Equipment could be another word for it in English.
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You can set up the situation, "going camping", and then list the specific things that you will take with you, or the THINGS VARIOUS that you will take with you.
 
Reba said:
That is bizarre. I've used aslpro.com and ASL Browser from various computers, on IE and Firefox, with no problems, and I've never had to register. I just checked both sites a few minutes ago, and they are up and running fine. If you can access those sites they could answer many of your questions.



Oh, on the back of the hand, not in the palm?


Can you remember the topic or any of the context of the video?


I'm getting confused about your description.

Did the dominant "A" hand just rest on the non-dominant palm-down flat-hand? Or did the "A" hand make a circular motion then land on the back of the non-dominant hand? If it was the latter, it could be a form of ESTABLISH. If it was the former, it could be an object that the A classifier represents, sitting on a shelf or something similar.
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Okay, keeping in mind that I'm on heavy medication, and I was put under heavy sedation yesterday for surgery, I'll try to remember what I can :giggle:

I remember being under the impression that the A was a classifier and probably sitting on a surface, but the set up for that "sign" was another sign that I didn't know, also involving the dominant A hand. I remember knowing what she was talking about, but I'm afraid it's lost in the cobwebs of my sedation, LOL! And the A just went straight to the back of the hand and sat there, so it wasn't establish :) Wow, you people are helping me a lot though, even if it is still a mistery, and I'm not joking! I mean it, thanks :)

Oh, wait a minute, I was thinking appoint. You're right, I think it was establish! Oh, those fuzzies, I was so wrapped up in watching that A-classifier going all over the place .. you know, in SEE, we don't have those things, so I'm still learning =D I promise, I'll never give up! It'll be easier once I get off this medication! That's it, I'll blame it on my medication. That always works.

It's weird about that ASLpro website not working because I've tried it on FireFox on my ISP here at home, and on my sister's computer FireFox, different ISP, different state. And I tried it back here after I got service pack 1 for vista which caused my firefox to fall into an infinite loop and crash, so I use Opera now, and still it doesn't work. I think maybe it has something to do with my ISP, and by coincidents it didn't work the day I tried it at my sister's house.

But I think I'll buy an ASL dictionary that I feel most people on AD think is the best one =D So far, I have one vote =) I've made good use out of my SEE dictionary, so I know I'll do the same with the ASL one.
 
Reba said:
For shifting the gears in a car, you can sign that by keeping your left hand on the steering wheel, and shifting thru the gears with your right hand (more of a miming action).


You can set up the situation, "going camping", and then list the specific things that you will take with you, or the THINGS VARIOUS that you will take with you.
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Got it, thanks Reba! And thanks for your patience with me :) I just can't tell you how weird my brain feels on this medication :) But that makes perfect sense, so I should be able to remember it :) And ASL is the best language I've ever tried to learn!!!!
 
SimplyMints said:
Got it, thanks Reba! And thanks for your patience with me :) I just can't tell you how weird my brain feels on this medication :) But that makes perfect sense, so I should be able to remember it :) And ASL is the best language I've ever tried to learn!!!!
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I hope that you feel better soon.

Don't strain your brain while you're on meds and resting from surgery. You can always catch up on the signs later. :P

Take it easy. :hug:
 
Rambling about names

Hear Again said:
SimplyMints,

As long as you are making the effort to learn ASL, you will be accepted by the Deaf community.

I can still remember when I attended my first Deaf Event. I was so nervous and worried about whether or not people would accept me. However, once I explained that I was a new signer, everyone was great about signing slow enough so I could follow along tactually. They even complimented me on my signing telling me what a good job I was doing.

As for name signs, I received mine from a Deaf woman I met while in training at my local deafblind center. (My name sign represents the initials of my first and last name made on each shoulder. I was told that this represents my personal strength and self-confidence.)
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I've had a name sign before given to me by my ASL instructor, but it didn't really have a meaning. I don't exactly remember what it was, but I remember that it was an M doing something, naturally from Minty. This time, I hope I'll be named by somebody who knows me a bit better. I've been meaning to ask this question, and since this is my thread, I wonder if I have the authority to do so, LOL! I know the rules regarding being named and stuff, but I wonder if there's any precident if I happen to live in an area where I'll very likely never meet another deaf person in person. My family could sure use names, but I'm the only one of us who is deaf so far, and so I'll never be named. Am I doomed to go without a name? I know I could easily just slip past that rule, but I'd really be interested in finding out if there's a precident that would allow me to abide by the rules and still somehow wind up with a name given to me by somebody who knows me well. Somebody who knows me would probably make it have something to do with mints or socks or ponies or Christmas, things I'm always doing, maybe baking. And everybody I know in the hearing world knows me as Minty or Mints .. except my grampa, who calls me BM. He is legally deaf, but culturally hearing, so I pray he doesn't get the authority to name me. BM for him stands for "Big Mint" (he calls everybody "big" whatever). However, I'm heavily schooled in the medical field where the first thing to come to mind when somebody says BM is bowel movement. No matter what the rules, I'm afraid I just cannot accept that name under any circumstances.
 
oh dear, I think that was off topic after all :tears: you can answer in private if it makes you feel more comfortable.
 
SimplyMints said:
I've had a name sign before given to me by my ASL instructor, but it didn't really have a meaning. I don't exactly remember what it was, but I remember that it was an M doing something, naturally from Minty. This time, I hope I'll be named by somebody who knows me a bit better. I've been meaning to ask this question, and since this is my thread, I wonder if I have the authority to do so, LOL! I know the rules regarding being named and stuff, but I wonder if there's any precident if I happen to live in an area where I'll very likely never meet another deaf person in person. My family could sure use names, but I'm the only one of us who is deaf so far, and so I'll never be named. Am I doomed to go without a name? I know I could easily just slip past that rule, but I'd really be interested in finding out if there's a precident that would allow me to abide by the rules and still somehow wind up with a name given to me by somebody who knows me well. Somebody who knows me would probably make it have something to do with mints or socks or ponies or Christmas, things I'm always doing, maybe baking. And everybody I know in the hearing world knows me as Minty or Mints .. except my grampa, who calls me BM. He is legally deaf, but culturally hearing, so I pray he doesn't get the authority to name me. BM for him stands for "Big Mint" (he calls everybody "big" whatever). However, I'm heavily schooled in the medical field where the first thing to come to mind when somebody says BM is bowel movement. No matter what the rules, I'm afraid I just cannot accept that name under any circumstances.
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As for rules regarding changing the thread, if that's what the OP would like to do, that's fine. :)

From what I understand, any d/Deaf person can give you a name sign. Perhaps someone here on AD could give you one once they get to know you better.

As for your grandpa, if he ends up giving you a name sign of BM, you don't have to accept it. Since he calls you "Big Mint," perhaps he could create a name sign representative of that (instead of using the initials "BM.").

Something about name signs I've always been curious about is what happens if a person receives more than one? Which one do they choose to use and with whom?
 
Hear Again said:
As for rules regarding changing the thread, if that's what the OP would like to do, that's fine. :)

From what I understand, any d/Deaf person can give you a name sign. Perhaps someone here on AD could give you one once they get to know you better.

As for your grandpa, if he ends up giving you a name sign of BM, you don't have to accept it. Since he calls you "Big Mint," perhaps he could create a name sign representative of that (instead of using the initials "BM.").

Something about name signs I've always been curious about is what happens if a person receives more than one? Which one do they choose to use and with whom?
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Well then I think I'll go ahead and just wait for somebody from AD to get to know me well enough. I'd like to hold onto the hope that "big" won't be part of my name :)
 
By the way - saw that you couldn't find ASLPro. It works for me if I type 'www.aslpro.com,' but certain websites won't do it for me, like my own university's website. :P Try doing a Google Search for 'ASL Pro' and clicking on that link.

(And for God's sake - don't allow your name sign to become 'BM!' ;))
 
I had all sorts of responses while reading through this thread and then realized just about everyone else was saying what I was going to say! :rofl: anyhow I do believe the claw hand with the "A" does NOT represent help. I've never seen help signed that way. The palm should really be flat. And as far as being on top of the palm face down, my first thought was "establish", and that was confirmed by another poster. I wonder what's up with your not being able to get to the aslpro.com site. Have you tried it elsewhere if you think it's your own ISP? Because if you type in the words you are thinking of (e.g. "help") it'll help you confirm if that's what you were looking for. Good luck and wish we could help you more!
 
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