Name Signs?

by Garrett

I just want to say this site is absolutely amazing. As a hearing person with a background in drama and acting - essentially the art of expression - I find ASL a very intuitive and often *more* expressive language than the spoken word! Your site is amazing and I'm working through the levels as I write.

I did have a few questions though: A friend of mine told me that Deaf names - non-fingerspelled versions - are a big part of Deaf culture, and that there are important and sacred rituals surrounding it. In fact, a friend of mine's teacher's assistant, a hearing person, got drunk one night and started giving out funny names to people and several of the deaf faculty were upset with him, as the people he gave the names too did not "earn" it, and it is supposed to be a very intimate thing.

However, upon examining your site, I couldn't find anything more on the subject; what's the history behind this? Is this a local thing for the deaf community here? Or is this so sacred that it cannot possibly be spoken about on a public website?

Answer:

Hi Garrett,

Thank you for your kind comments about my site! :) And what a great question!

What you are talking about are "name signs." I actually mention them in the ASL 1 class and in my upcoming e-book.

Here is what it says:

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Name signs are another part of Deaf culture and are used to identify and refer to people both present and not present. Usually a Deaf child receives a name when attending a residential school. If the child has Deaf parents, however, he/she receives a name sign at birth.

There are two kinds of name signs--arbitrary and descriptive. Arbitrary name signs use the first letter of the person's name. Descriptive name signs are based on distinctive physical characteristics and are often given by peers and are usually later replaced by an arbitrary name sign.

For use in in-person ASL classes, descriptive name signs are usually given to hearing sign language students. These are different from the descriptive name signs given to deaf children in that they combine the arbitrary and descriptive name signs. These name signs use the first letter of the student's name along with a distinctive physical characteristic. Do not use these signs to identify yourself outside of class, though--name signs can only be given to a hearing person when that person is involved in the Deaf community. Name signs should only be given by a Deaf person--hearing people should not create their own name signs. And even if you do receive an arbitrary name sign, you should always introduce yourself by signing your full name.
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That probably clears a bit up for you :) Name signs are a very big part of Deaf culture, but it's not something that isn't talked about--it's definitely publicly known by those involved in the Deaf community. And the teacher's assistant was culturally in the wrong because he is hearing and only Deaf people are supposed to assign name signs to those hearing people who have "earned" it by being involved in the Deaf community. :)

Great question!

God bless,

Michelle Jay