[sw-l] Do we have these handshapes

[Sandy Fleming]

Hi Charles!

These hands are useful - shows how the experts think, anyway  :)

I don't know what all those dotty arrows (such as you used for the swirl)
and things are in the IMWA. Are they described anywhere?

Sandy
  -----Original Message-----
  From: owner-sw-l at majordomo.valenciacc.edu
[mailto:owner-sw-l at majordomo.valenciacc.edu]On Behalf Of Charles Butler
  Sent: 18 October 2004 14:55
  To: sw-l at majordomo.valenciacc.edu
  Subject: Re: [sw-l] Do we have these handshapes


  Hi Sandy,

  My best friend growing up was a fellow named Sandy (male), and a woman
named Charley, so I presume nothing from a name.

   This is the classic "claw" hand with all fingers curved and bent.
   This has the fingers curled but not bent.

   I'd almost want to make your "swirly" hand a variation on this as the
finger that seem to be articulating most are these three.

  How about this? I can't make the sign without saving it in signbank.



  I'm trying to find a hand that bends the thumb without going outside of
IMWA, right now that "feels" like the "bent 3", and there isn't a quick
"swirl" with only 3 fingers in the system.

  Charles




  Sandy Fleming <sandy at FLEIMIN.DEMON.CO.UK> wrote:
    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 taug! ht 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


    > ATTACHMENT part 2 image/gif name=fans.gif

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