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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Page 5 of 5 1 2 3 4 5 Re: Hand gestures #19858 02/27/01 09:32 PM Joined: Oct 2000 Posts: 5,400 rego park of troy Carpal Tunnel of troy Carpal Tunnel Joined: Oct 2000 Posts: 5,400 rego park I know very little about ASL-- a word or two here or there... but there is a good site.. http://www.aslinfo.com/aboutasl.html it give a history of sign languages... of which ASL is just one, (and not the oldest) . my other obsession Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Hand gestures #19859 02/27/01 11:05 PM Joined: Aug 2000 Posts: 3,409 M Max Quordlepleen Carpal Tunnel Max Quordlepleen Carpal Tunnel M Joined: Aug 2000 Posts: 3,409 Forgive? Apology accepted, though totally unnecessary. I took absolutely no offence,and posted simply to seek clarification. I don't sign, and have been jokingly told by several signers that they hate me, meaning that they dislike my public speaking intensely, as my rapid speaking and fondness for long words makes translating quite difficult. ASL's fondness for one-handed finger spelling would actually suit me were I to sign, as it would not require me to use my almost non-functional right hand, so I certainly have no beef against ASL. I mentioned Nicaraguan SL because I once saw a fascinating documentary about it, and the unique opportunity it has presented to study the evolution of language in general. The last comment I shall make about signing was an amusing anecdote related from an international sporting fixture held in Christchurch, NZ. One of those assigned to greet delegates as they stepped off their buses was signing a welcome in NZSL (I assume), unaware that to some of the delegates the phrase she was signing meant something along the lines of "voulez vous coucher avec moi", which I suspect was rather more welcoming than had been her intent! Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Musical Hand gestures #19860 02/28/01 11:40 PM Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 2,661 Chicago musick Carpal Tunnel musick Carpal Tunnel Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 2,661 Chicago In improvisational Jazz, the slashing of the throat gesture means "stop playing" or "last time through" and a tap on the head means go to the "beginning of the song" or the "head"(pretty obvious, huh). However, holding up crossed fingers means "go to the Bridge or B-section" and drawing a couple of circles straight up in the air means "keep repeating"... any similarities? We also would call out key centers by "how many fingers up = x number of sharps key and how many fingers down = x number of flats key. Of course the key of "C" (no sharps or flats) was a big "C" shaped hand. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Hand gestures #19861 03/01/01 12:02 PM Joined: Feb 2001 Posts: 116 Jerusalem, ISRAEL Shoshannah member Shoshannah member Joined: Feb 2001 Posts: 116 Jerusalem, ISRAEL Some of you, by now, have discovered that I live in Israel, and I can tell you that if you don't use hand gestures when talking here, you'll NEVER be 'heard' or understood! The good news is, if you feel comfortable using your hands while talking, you can usually be understood even without speaking either Hebrew or Arabic (or Russian or Yiddish or Hungarian or German or Farsi or French or Ladino or Spanish or Portuguese or Italian or Japanese or Afrikaans or Hindi or any number of other languages or dialects...)! But the BEST one, by far, is the same as that Italian one - except you basically put all your fingers and thumb together and shake it at the other person - usually when driving, you do this out the window to indicate that you want the other person to stop and let you do some incredibly stupid thing like park extremely crooked on the sidewalk (or pavement, depending on your own brand of English) or back up for three blocks or back down the one way street so you are headed in the proper direction even if the car is moving in the wrong direction or you want to turn into a street or parking spot that three or four others are already waiting for.... I think you get the point by now! Oh, and while you are shaking your hand in this configuration, you MUST, at the same time, shout in a loud and basically obnoxious voice, "rega, rega, rega" - at least three times just to make sure everyone for three or four blocks around has heard you... oh, it means 'wait' or 'moment' (as in 'just a moment') or any number of similar instructions! There is one more that I have found extremely useful here - and it can be used all over the Middle East and probably in most of the other Mediterranean countries as well. When someone asks you a question that you don't know or simply don't want to answer, just do this: shrug your shoulders with your arms half extended and your palms up (in a sort of helpless gesture) and make a facial expression by pursing your lips, slightly closing your eyes, tilt your head slightly to one side and then, while in this form, make a slight smacking noise with your mouth... and then just turn and walk away...works every time! suzanne pomeranz, tourism consultant jerusalem, israel - suztours@gmail.com Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Page 5 of 5 1 2 3 4 5 Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. 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