[sw-l] CZECH...First 2 signs...

[Shane Gilchrist Ó hEorpa]

In NISL, we just fingerspell "CZ" in a fast motion to imply it’s a name.

Some people here sign it as "you-know GERMANY below-next land beer
VERY-CHEAP" just because there is a new flight between Belfast and Prague.

I often say "Belgium" and they would go 'WHAT?" - I ll have to go "you-know
FRANCE HOLLAND middle-between" :-o

Shane

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-sw-l at majordomo.valenciacc.edu
[mailto:owner-sw-l at majordomo.valenciacc.edu] On Behalf Of Lucyna Dlugolecka
Sent: 25 January 2005 10:32
To: sw-l at majordomo.valenciacc.edu
Subject: Re: [sw-l] CZECH...First 2 signs...

Stefan:
> Ha Lucy - this is fun -

Me:
Yeah - and your SW sign is not right.

Stefan:
> Are there any lifelike drawings in the internet posted about Czech -
> signs??

Me:
There is a video clip for Czech Republik -
http://www.ticho.cz/videog.php?cvgtit=c8h. Look, in the right part of the
webpage there is a list of words. Click 'Ceska Republika'. A boy is signing
the first sign (Ceska = Czech). He repeats the sign three times, although,
as Martin has said, it is usually repeated twice. Pay attention also to the
B shape - the thumb is not bent.

Martin:
Im not sure, I think it is from sign CZECHOSLOVAKIA and CZECHOSLOVAKIA is
from sign "spa". Every people know that czech have famous spa for example
Carlsbad....
Interest is that difference between sign Czechoslovakia and sign Czech is
big. Iconic characterization of sign Czechoslovakia is "drinking of water"
(spa), but some people used this sign as somebody have heave (bad use of
sign). So czech people changed the orientation of hand and fingers and make
new sing CZECH.

Me:
Your explanation is very interesting. We the Poles use another sign for
CZECH. We use the gesture for combing the hair. It is because 'to comb'
means 'czesac' in Polish, and 'czesac' is similar to 'czeski' ('Czech').

Lucy