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From:
Charles Butler Date: Thu Feb 10, 2000 8:31 am Subject: Re: one gap - two gaps | ||||||||
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In the attachment you loaded yesterday on bent index fingers, I am trying to think of a minimal pair in ASL between a straight finger, a bent index finger and a crooked index finger, and I honestly can't think of one. If I were to write the sign [depend] I personally would write it with two index fingers with tension. The sign for [question] has a transitory bent index finger or a crooked index finger, but either would be read the same. Are there positions in ASL that truly distinguish between a straight finger and a bent one as opposed to completely crooked? Very curious now, I would prefer to see the ASL used handset not multiply handshapes unnecessarily. Just like the "a" in "hat" and the "a" in "hate" are not pronounced the same, and therefore require a silent "e" to indicate the difference, we don't change the 'a' but add a diacritical 'e' in everyday writing, where the IPA has two distinct written shapes. Charles Butler | ||||||||
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