"finalized" signs

[RL Sutton-Spence, Deaf Studies]

Hello List members:

I have done some work on the "initialised" signs of
BSL. We have much less scope for initialised signs, as they are
understood by users of languages that have one-handed manual alphabets.
Our two-handed manual alphabet means that adding movements or changing
locations is much rarer.  Initialised signs, by which we mean a single
manual letter sign with no alteration are fairly common in BSL.  I have
no record of any "finalised" signs but there are two signs in BSL
AUGUST and B*GGER (mildish expression of irritation, where *=u) both of
which are made with the hands in the same configuration as the BSL
manual letter -g-.  Whether or not they *are* the letter -g-, or merely
coincidental homonyms, is another question, of course.

Another example that may be very interesting or merely a product of a
fevered imagination:  The BSL sign LAZY which has the dominant b hand
against the non-dominant elbow could be derived from the old BSL manual
letter -z- which had that same form.

Just to add more one-handed data to the pot, though:  When I was in
Madrid a couple of years ago, LSE signers showed me FELIZ, PAZ
(which both used only the final -z-) and EXTREMADURA (which only used
the -x-).

WARNING!
Wild stab at conclusion based on not nearly enough data coming
up:
Are we only seeing these for -x- and -z- in these one-handed manual
alphabets?
(Do I recall that ASL PIZZA uses some sort of double -z-?)


Rachel Sutton-Spence

oh PS:  Re this Nortel advert that uses a BSL signer.  In BSL
used in Bristol, we use a sign VOICE that uses a 'V' handshape against
the throat.  Just to reiterate what others have said - We in Britain
haven't seen the advert!  Anyone fancy emailing us a clip of the item?


On Fri, 4 Feb 2000 15:49:46 -0500 Michael Hamm <msh210 at IS7.NYU.EDU>
wrote:

> Initialized signs are common in ASL, more so in signed American English.
> Has there been any study of words whose handshapes are taken from letters
> other than the first in their respective English (or, for other SLs, other
> spoken languages') glosses?
>
> I first thought of this regarding ASL's "silly", thinking it might just
> possibly be a euphamistic and "finalized" (to coin a phrase) "false". But
> that's unlikely. However, I have seen two signs for Bronx: Both are made
> in the "onion" location, but whereas one starts with a "b" and goes to a
> twisted-horizontal "x", the other starts with an "x" and goes to a
> twisted-horizontal "x", which would be, I suppose, an example of a
> "finalized" sign.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Michael Hamm
> BA, Math, Sept. '00
> msh210 at nyu.edu
> http://www.crosswinds.net/~msh210/
>

----------------------
RL Sutton-Spence, Deaf Studies
Rachel.Spence at bristol.ac.uk