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From:
Cecelia Smith Date: Sun Jan 10, 1999 10:00 pm Subject: Re: actors | |
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Bill.. I'll do more than break your heart for reminding me of that tune! Haha However, to get to the meat of your message... if you use freeze frame analysis of the signs in your list, used in free flowing discourse, rather than in an isolated production of each sign, you will see that the "B" hand shape really isn't. For example, in the sign BAKE, the thumb is not tucked against the palm, but is really about an inch or so above it... more like holding a pan than making a B for bake. Also, the words "be" and "breakfast" are borrowings from signed english, rather than ASL. ASL doesn't use the copula "be" and BREAKFAST in ASL is a contraction of EAT-MORNING. Now.. that doesn't mean that the "B" handshape hasn't been used (looking at blue and beer.. not to mention bitch and bastard) However, that is a case of English influeincing the language. And really... do they mean B? When someone signs Beer.. yeah, I guess you could say it does, becuz I know Beer vs Wine by that initial letter... but if the difference between beer and wine, in sign was a closed hand vs an open hand... we would still know the difference even without the assignment of an alphabetic neumonic device. So.. while it is a "B" shape, is it really a "B"? And is it just coincidence that the English words also start with a B or is that a case of borrowing from English into ASL. (luckily that doesn't happen as often as it could...think of how confusing it would be to understand ASL if all signs had to incorporate the initial letter of a corresponding English word! YIKES! rambling on... Cecelia Smith Student of Linguistics Gallaudet University In a message dated 1/10/99 12:04:55 PM Eastern Standard Time, writes: > I do know that the "B" hand is used in "beer", > "brown", "blue", "bitch", "breakfast", "bachelor", "bake", "bastard", > "be", "bet". In these cases, it's obvious that the "B" hand denotes the > beginning letter. For ASL, anyway. |
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