Fw: [USA-L News] British Deaf Association in controversial poster drive

[Adam Schembri]

Don & Theresa,

You might be right about the BDA having ulterior motives, but one sign 
meaning "lazy" or "idle" in both BSL and Auslan (Australian Sign Language) 
is indeed this particular handshape (in a one-handed or two-handed 
formation) held in space with a small repeated downward bounce.

In fact, there are a number of other signs in Auslan with the same 
handshape. In Auslan, this handshape moved in small vertical circles means 
"holiday" or "available", and if it is oriented palm downwards and produced 
with a repeated downward bounce, it means "stubborn". The same handshape 
contacting the forehead twice means "silly".

It seems that the negative meanings associated with this handshape may be a 
relatively recent phenomenon in British-Australasian culture. When I was a 
kid in the 1970s, a "two-fingered" salute was the rudest gesture imaginable, 
and holding up your middle finger was pretty much unknown.

Adam Schembri

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Adam Schembri
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>From: Don & Theresa Grushkin <DTGrushkin at EMAIL.MSN.COM>
>Reply-To: "For the discussion of linguistics and signed languages."         
>      <SLLING-L at ADMIN.HUMBERC.ON.CA>
>To: SLLING-L at ADMIN.HUMBERC.ON.CA
>Subject: Fw: [USA-L News] British Deaf Association in controversial poster  
>             drive
>Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2000 15:20:37 -0700
>
>The article below says the middle finger sign (I'm assuming they mean the
>middle finger) means "idle" in BSL.  I have a hard time believing just
>holding up the middle fnger means "idle".  I'm suspecting that there is 
>some
>movement involved.  Can any of you BSL users out there help clarify this 
>for
>me?
>
>Thanks,
>Don Grushkin
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
>
>  From the newsroom of the Media Guardian, United Kingdom, Thursday, 
>October
>12, 2000 .....
>
>British Deaf Association in controversial poster drive
>
>By Claire Cozens
>
>Britain's deaf community is giving a one-fingered salute to the government
>in a controversial poster campaign designed to get British sign language
>officially recognised in Westminster.
>
>The British Deaf Association will today launch a poster drive featuring the
>rude hand gesture beside the line, "Westminster's attitude to recognising
>British sign language." The copy underneath explains that in British sign
>language the gesture means "idle".
>
>Jeff McWhinney, chief executive of the BDA, said: "The BDA has had to
>resort to shock tactics with this campaign to get politicians to sit up and
>take notice. The BDA is extremely concerned about the resistance of
>government to extending the same linguistic rights to deaf people as those
>enjoyed by the hearing population."
>
>The BDA is calling on the government to recognise British sign language
>under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Countries
>that sign up to the charter are required to improve the access of minority
>language users to public services such as health, education and the justice
>system. They are also expected to promote the learning and study of
>minority languages.
>
>© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2000
>
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