What's in a name...

[Delamar Weber & Ronice M. Quadros]

We have name signs in Brazil. I think that Deaf Community prefer to have
signs for people instead of initials as happen in other countries
mentioned in the list.
In Brazil, to give a name to a person follows a true ritual! Deaf people
discuss about the
person and analyze his/her characteristics in details. This can include
physical and personality aspects of each one that will receive the sign.
In Deaf families, when a child is born, they use to wait for the child
to show her/his characteristics and, then, to give his/her name. It is
very individual. When Deaf people meet each other is very usual to
explain why the person has the specific sign, even tough the sign had
lost its physical and/or personality characteristics. For example, my
sign is done in my face to identify
my hair when I was a child. Nowadays, my hair is completely different,
but I'm still using the same name in signs. Always, I explain why my
parents gave me this sign when I am introduced to a new Deaf person in
Brazil.
That is it!
Ronice M. de Quadros
dweber at neca.com