<html><head><style type="text/css"><!-- DIV {margin:0px;} --></style></head><body><div style="font-family:times new roman,new york,times,serif;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;"><div>The ASL Teacher list serve asked this question. What shape is the Non-Dominant Hand in the sign "church".<br><br>That is a very interesting question, one that I have asked before to some <br>of my fellow deafies in my community. I have seen the NDH being a C as you <br>said, as well as a fist and a flat hand. The most memorable is when I asked <br>my friend who is very pious which it should be for CHURCH. He said that if <br>you sign church on a flat hand, you have a weak foundation; if you sign it <br>on a fist, you have a firm foundation. When I asked about it with a C, he <br>said then you have a weak foundation lazily placed. Then I joked with him <br>and said that maybe it was a weak foundation trying to look like a firm
one. <br>He laughed at that one. The point being from what I have gathered from him <br>and several others is that it really doesn't matter which of the three you <br>use when just chatting, but when in a very formal setting to use the fist <br>base. Now whether you are teaching your students to be apart of t_he Deaf <br>community socially or professionally will help you decide which to teach. <br><br>MY Comment: <br><br>Here is what I find on SignPuddle -- with flat hand and with fist. <br><br><table border="1" cellpadding="5"><tbody><tr><td><img src="http://www.signbank.org/SignPuddle1.5/image.php?build=01-05-012-01-06-07,69,113,02-01-001-01-01-01,103,102,02-01-001-01-01-01,92,102,01-05-029-02-03-01,72,91"><p><b>church</b></p></td><td>
<br></td><td><table border="1" cellpadding="5"><tbody><tr><td align="middle"><img src="http://www.signbank.org/SignPuddle1.5/symbol.php?sss=01-05-029-02-03-01&color=999999&size=.7"></td></tr><tr><td align="middle"><img src="http://www.signbank.org/SignPuddle1.5/symbol.php?sss=01-05-012-01-06-07&color=999999&size=.7"></td></tr><tr><td align="middle"><img src="http://www.signbank.org/SignPuddle1.5/symbol.php?sss=02-01-001-01-01-01&color=999999&size=.7"></td></tr><tr><td align="middle"><img src="http://www.signbank.org/SignPuddle1.5/symbol.php?sss=02-01-001-01-01-01&color=999999&size=.7"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><font size="-1">Sign: <a href="http://www.signbank.org/SignPuddle1.5/spreader.html?bsw=00802256f8c4f8f05ec0f8e6f8e55ec0f8dbf8e52940f8c7f8da">Reader</a><br>Modified: September 18, 2008 08:38<br><br></font><br><table border="1" cellpadding="5"><tbody><tr><td><img
src="http://www.signbank.org/SignPuddle1.5/image.php?build=01-10-012-01-02-11,88,140,01-05-029-02-03-01,78,103,02-01-002-01-01-01,76,126,04-02-002-01-01-07,60,146"><p><b>church</b></p></td><td>
<br></td><td><table border="1" cellpadding="5"><tbody><tr><td align="middle"><img src="http://www.signbank.org/SignPuddle1.5/symbol.php?sss=01-05-029-02-03-01&color=999999&size=.7"></td></tr><tr><td align="middle"><img src="http://www.signbank.org/SignPuddle1.5/symbol.php?sss=01-10-012-01-02-11&color=999999&size=.7"></td></tr><tr><td align="middle"><img src="http://www.signbank.org/SignPuddle1.5/symbol.php?sss=02-01-002-01-01-01&color=999999&size=.7"></td></tr><tr><td align="middle"><img src="http://www.signbank.org/SignPuddle1.5/symbol.php?sss=04-02-002-01-01-07&color=999999&size=.7"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><p><font size="-1">Sign: <a href="http://www.signbank.org/SignPuddle1.5/spreader.html?bsw=00805e1af8d7f90b2940f8cdf8e65f20f8cbf8fde686f8bbf911">Reader</a><br>Source: Vanessa J.<br>Modified: September 18, 2008 08:41<br>Puddle page 7401</font></p><br>>From what I have noticed is that SN
tries to find a happy middle for those <br>who may be unsure or don't want to limit to one or the other without <br>overloading students with too many options. Hope that helps. </div>
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