Free Signing with Amy and Kelly

What's your name?

What is your name? An infant’s mother and father give a name to a person at birth. The child has no say in what they will be called. They could receive a “cool” name, for example: Tamara or Chase. Or they could just receive a Plain Jane name, as in Ted or Jill. In the Deaf community you are given a name sign, which is used to identify you in conversation when you are either present or if both signers know you and your name sign. A name sign is a sign that resembles the nickname in the hearing culture. A person could receive their name sign from the whole Deaf community that they are part of or can be renamed by different groups of people who know other people with the same name sign. How a person comes into their name sign, is unique and very close to heart for the Deaf community. They get very hurt if a hearing person gives them self a name sign. To them it is a right of passage, that you can only get after you have shown that you have immersed your self into the community. The name sign is a sign of trust within the community, once presented with it means you are welcome.

            Just like a newborn child, it is  not ok for an individual to start handing out name signs because they feel like it, there are rules for when and where to give name signs. Not every hearing person receives a name sign, and even then some deaf people do not receive name signs, either because their name is short enough to finger spell out like Ted or Jill, or they have not been presented with a name sign that has stuck with them yet.           

Who can give you a name sign? There is some controversy in some Deaf communities that only physically deaf people can give you a name sign. There is however the notion of a Bicultural person or Culturally Deaf. For example, say there is a person who has lived in the deaf community for a long time. They  ive there, their parents are deaf; the person is a teacher for the State school, they married a deaf person and have deaf child. By some standards this person can be considered “Deaf” in the fact that he or she has a standing long-term relationship with the Deaf community.

            There are two categories of name signs, Descriptive and Arbitrary signs.

Arbitrary signs are those that use a combination of a letter from the alphabet and a piece of information about their family and/or heritage. For example, Jamie has a dimple on her left check. Her name sign could include the hand sign for the letter J and it could touch her left check to represent the dimple. These signs are the most common name sign a person could run into. Descriptive signs are used to describe a physical feature or personal trait. An example that a lot of people see is if someone has long or curly hair, a name sign can be given in reference to that characteristic.

As there are more people learning ASL as a second language, there has been a new kind of name sign introduced, this new sign is a combination of both Arbitrary and descriptive signs. Kelsey loves to read. It is all she does in her free time, and the deaf children in her class have noticed.  Kelsey was presented with the name sign of a K hand shape and the sign to read, moving the K back and forth across the page to make it look as if she were reading. Now a day’s, younger kids are handing out name signs to hearing friends without regards to the rules.  Sometimes name signs can be unflattering to a hearing person. If the person has a scar or unusual physical feature, their name sign can be given involving the feature. Do not be offended if you do receive a name sign that could be considered unflattering by the hearing person. The Deaf community gave you that name because it personally relates to you, and after all you know that you have the scar/ physical feature. To the deaf person it is just another part of you. In some cases where younger kids may hand out name signs, the sign it self can have a prior meaning that a person does not want to use as your name sign.

In the Deaf community, name signs are just as unique as the hearing person’s nickname. No two deaf persons in a community have to same name sign. There are a few rules regarding the fact that if two people do meet and they have they same name sign who gets to keep the sign and who would have to be given another, just in that community. If a new person as just moved to town and has the same name sign as another deaf person in the community, the new person would be expected to give their name sign up. If  two deaf persons meet and have the same name then the older of the two or whoever was in possession of the name sign the longest would get to keep it and the other would have to be renamed. The last possible situation is if a deaf person and a hearing person had the same name sign, the hearing person would be expected to give up the name sign.   A single person can have multiple name signs throughout the community.

They could have a name sign that they go by when they are with their family, one for their close friends and one for at work. It depends on how that group of deaf persons sees the person’s personality. It is a community that is highly involved and involves a lot of respect and trust.

            Name signs can be acquired by unusual means outside of the Deaf community. Most deaf children receive their name signs by hearing adults that know ASL. Most common is the child’s mother and/or their hearing school teacher. It is because of this influence that the age of the new names signs are coming. As the years go by, a person’s name sign can be changed or modified to fit the person in the present time. If the person thinks the name sign in unflattering, they may modify it to better suit to their liking. Sometimes the name just doesn’t stick, that is in rare occasions though. Once the name sign has been presented to the class or deaf community it is hard to change.

            The name sign is given in the same sort of way that American Indians receive their spirit names. In some cases the parents wait till their child has grown to be a toddler, looking at their personality and naming them accordingly. It is the same way in the deaf community. Name signs are not given until they accept that person as a part of the community. It is a rite of passage into a community based around structure and friendships.