Arm Lines with Neutral Hands

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
February 10, 2006

Cherie Wren wrote:
> I didn't know I could not put a hand!

Hello Cherie and Everyone!
Yes...That is correct. We can write an arm line without a handshape  
at the end of the arm, whenever the hand is not doing anything  
important...

The purpose of writing the arm line is to give meaning to the sign,  
but a neutral or relaxed hand at the end of the arm line is not  
giving meaning, so whenever you see no hand, it means it is not  
involved with the meaning of the sign...it is neutral or relaxed...

But if you choose to write a handshape at the end of an Arm Line, the  
reader assumes that the handshape is necessary for the meaning of the  
sign...and they will do it exactly as you wrote it.

Here are some examples of arms with neutral hands:




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