LL-L "Language contacts" 2004.06.05 (02) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic V=(West)Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeêuws)
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From: Sandy Fleming <sandy at scotstext.org>
Subject: "Language contacts" [E]

Ron wrote:

> Granted: the two viewpoints are nice.  But isn't the somewhat
gothic-looking
> design another reason why you particularly like this site?  ;-)

It takes more than a black background to make something gothic - it has to
be a bit batty, too  :)

No, it's really that the illustration is clear and there's animation - this
is much better than simply having an arrow to show movement, as in most
diagrams. Moreover, it's photographic - most hand-drawn diagrams tend to
miss subtle but important points.

This brings me (in a way which will become clear!) to another aspect of Deaf
culture (it's the done thing to write "Deaf" for cultural deafness and
"deaf" for audiological deafness) - the use of "sign names".

(Incidentally, I'll say "BSL" rather than "signed languages" and "English"
rather than "oral languages", especially since what I'm talking about here
won't necessarily apply in other deaf/hearing cultures).

Sign names are signs used to indicate a person when speaking about them, but
their derivation and usage is quite different from that of names in oral
languages.

Of course, Deaf people can just fingerspell a name if required, but this is
annoying, except sometimes when the name is only three letters and can be
fingerspelled almost like a single sign. On the other hand, a sign name
might be derived partly using fingerspelling and partly using a sign
language pun. For example, the well-known Deaf TV presenter Clive Mason's
sign name is fignerspelled "C" plus the BSL sign for "live".

On the other hand, sign names might just be a personal characteristic - for
example, Prince Charles has a sign name which means "Big Ears", and I've
seen Clive Mason using this on the BBC TV programme "See Hear". However, it
would be inappropriate (even if you're Deaf) to call anyone "Big Ears" in
English - sign names just aren't translated, except possibly when explaining
their origins.

Another aspect of this is that a person's sign name isn't used when signing
to them, the way their English name might be used periodically when speaking
to them in English. Nor is a sign name used to attract a person's attention,
the way you say a person's name in English to get their attention - deaf
people attract each other's attention by various methods (which I explained
in a mailing on Lowlands-L some time ago:
http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0212B&L=lowlands-l&P=R538 ),
but signing a name isn't going to get the attention of someone who's not
looking! And again, when talking about a person who's actually present, a
BSL user normally indicates them by pointing, so sign names are used when a
person is absent rather than present, and although nobody is expected to
have a sign name they don't like, a sign name like "Big Ears" or "Half-Pint"
doesn't continually grate on a person until they get sick of it, the way it
might in English.

Often Deaf people only know each other by their sign name and it can come as
a surprise when after some years they see them referred as "Brian" or
"Charlotte".  And there's a running joke in the BSL community which goes,
"Yes, I know them really well, in fact I'm on last-name terms with them."
But in the past (at least, I hope it's in the past) teachers used to give
children in Deaf schools numbers, so that you sometimes see an older person
reminiscing about his schooldays and referring to a particular classmate by
a sign name which is really a number - this being the only name they know
them by.

One of the fun things about going to a sign language class is keeping an eye
out for possible sign names for the other students. Sometimes there's a
period over which several are suggested before one finally becomes common
usage - ie the person accepts it, and it's easy and clear to sign.

Signs are often personal characteristics, and since these can change, sign
names can change too. The shaving of long-standing beards or cutting of long
hair can herald a change of name, too!

Sometimes sign names are quite general in nature. Someone from another
country might be given a sign name meaning "French" or "American" if these
are unusual enough in the community. So when I lived in Wales I used to be
called "Scottish", but now that I'm here in this very rural part of England
I stand out in a different way and signers call me "Goth"  :)

Sandy
http://scotstext.org/

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