[sw-l] Do we have these handshapes

[Sandy Fleming]

Val, Charles & All,

I wonder if you could look at these handshapes from British Sign Language
and let me know if we have them in the IMWA or whether they need to be
added.

The first handshape is the "5" hand but it's not flat - rather the baby
finger is forward (vertical to the palm) and the other fingers are
progressively less further forward until the index finger which is not
forward at all, but is in its usual position. The fingers could be thought
of as in a sort of "fan" formation.

In BSL the usual handshape for "to sign" is the two flat 5 hands moved
cyclically in a vertical plane. This "fanned" handshape is used by more
advanced signers to mean something like "to sign confidently".

The next two handshapes show the same sort of thing but with the fingers
bent and clawed, respectively. The bent handshape is taught to beginners as
well as being used by advanced signers, swirling horizontally to mean,
rather obviously, "brandy".

I don't know if the third (clawed) handshape is used in BSL - I haven't
thought of a sign which uses it as I've photographed it. However, if the
thumb were forward instead of flat (so that the thumb and index finger make
a "C" shape representing the rim of a glass held to the mouth) it would mean
"a drink problem".

Do we have the handshapes? Does the fact that these are only used in a few
signs mean that we should make do with a near approximation?

(And yes, it is my hand. And yes, I'm a man, not a woman as some of you seem
to believe :)

Sandy
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: fans.gif
Type: image/gif
Size: 20973 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/sw-l/attachments/20041017/1ea9382c/attachment.gif>