Handshape question, "Stand" and "Look"

Sun Nov 30 17:58:04 UTC 2008

I love this question, and I will tell you why. It shows that you have  
a handle on these handshapes, and you are thinking in real world sense.

As a Lexiconian in the truest sense (I'd love to make an ASL  
equivalent to the Webster Dictionary, but that would be a life work.  
*wink*), I have made the same observations that you have just made. I  
have also noticed that it is rare for native users to realize that  
they have their hands the way that you have just described. This is  
the reason that the ASL Puddle, which is a collaborative dictionary,  
usually has the first set. The other reason is that most people can  
read the first set easier than the latter. ;-) The reason I mention  
this is if and when I were able to create and ASL Webster-like  
dictionary, then there would be something about this in the usage or  
pronunciation guide.

I know that I am not teaching your class, so I don't know the  
students. But if I were teaching a class that I felt could handle it,  
I would include both in the lessons and tell them that the first set  
is more of a novice way of signing as well as the visual image of how  
a native internally imagines their signing but are actually doing it  
the second way. The reason is in order to do the first set the elbow  
has to be in an awkward position or the wrist has to be painfully  
bent, whereas the latter set does not.

So now that I have rambled, I will answer your questions. :-) If you  
want to have those concepts in the ASL Puddle, you are more than  
welcome to add them. In fact, I think it is better to have both of  
them so that people can compare. As for your second question, I have  
been creating GIFs of all of the current handshapes. Because of  
everyone being swamped with so many projects, it is coming along very  
slowly. I have done these handshapes that you have mentioned, but I  
don't know if they have been put up on the website yet. I am not sure  
exactly why you are asking because you do understand it just fine. I  
am also surprised that there isn't anything about the latter set of  
handshapes on the website. I just find that odd. So I will check to  
see if my GIFs are on the website or not. If not, maybe I can figure  
something out.

Hope this helps, and I am glad that Val caught this in Digest because  
I never saw it. As always feel free to ask questions. It is the way to  
learn. ;-)

Adam

On Nov 30, 2008, at 9:03 AM, Valerie Sutton wrote:

> From: "Natasha Escalada-Westland" <shash90 at hotmail.com>
> Date: November 30, 2008 7:33:52 AM PST
> To: "SignWriting Listserve" <sw-l at majordomo.valenciacc.edu>
> Subject: [sw-l] Handshape question, "Stand" and "Look"
> Reply-To: "SignWriting List" <sw-l at majordomo.valenciacc.edu>
>
>
> Greetings SW colleagues,
>
> I am developing a lesson on teaching classifers and I am debating  
> which handshapes to use in my presentation.  The ASL signpuddle  
> dictionary cites:
>
>
>    and      as the handshapes for "stand" and "look-at" respectively.
>
> As I look at myself signing these, and as I think of using them as  
> classifiers to describe types or ways of standing or looking-at, I  
> see the following actual handshapes used:
>
>
>   and
>
> The "Lessons in SignWriting Web Gallery" explanation of Handshape  
> group 2 doesn't include the above handsapes, although I do  
> understand them to mean index and middle fingers bent slightly at  
> the proximal knuckle.
>
> First question...  Do the signs in the ASL SignPuddle need to be  
> updated as written for these concepts?  To keep the fingers straight  
> requires unnatural lifting of the shoulder and elbow.
>
> Second question... is there an updated lesson book or handshape list  
> that includes the second set of handshapes somwhere on the  
> SignWriting website?
>
> Thank you!
>
> Natasha Escalada-Westland, M.Ed. (D/HH), Macromedia Cert.
> www.westlandasl.com

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