hello, i was wondering if you could help me with describing hands? one of my characters is using sign language to communicate, and while the facial expressions are fine it's the hands i struggle with. thank you for your hard work!!
Describing Sign Language in Writing
Sign language - a nonverbal communication method that relies on physical movement instead of spoken words.
The figure shows the well-defined structure that distinguishes sign languages from simple gestural communication or mime, imbuing them with the complexity and depth characteristics of the spoken language.
Sign languages, distinct from the many communication methods employed by humans, exhibit expressions of complex linguistic systems rooted in visual-manual modality.
Rather than merely gestures, these languages are structured and intricate, evolving in response to cultural and societal influence.
At the core of sign language lies manual articulation complemented by non-manual elements (such as facial expressions and body posture).
This combination yields a rich communication tapestry in which each sign or gesture has a specific meaning organized by syntactic and morphological rules.
Visual-spatial language uses visible cues from the hands, eyes, facial expressions, and movements to convey meaning.
Although sign language is primarily used by individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, it is also used by many hearing people.
Like spoken languages, sign languages have their own grammar and structural rules and have evolved.
However, there is no universal sign language, and different countries have unique versions of sign languages specific to their regions and cultures. Example: the ASL differs from Auslan in Australia and the BSL in the United Kingdom. A person fluent in ASL may need to understand a local version of sign language in Sydney, Australia, instead of different dialects or accents in spoken languages.
There are more than 300 different sign languages in the world, spoken by more than 72 million deaf or hard-of-hearing people worldwide.
Each individual gesture is called a sign. Each sign has 3 distinct parts:
the position of the hands, and
the movement of the hands.
PHONOLOGY. At the heart of all languages, spoken or signed, lies the study of phonology. This discipline investigates the systematic arrangement of sounds in spoken languages and the corresponding organization of meaningful units in sign languages. In the case of sign languages, these units are not acoustic but instead composed of distinct hand shapes, locations, movements, and facial expressions. These elements work harmoniously to serve as essential structures for the sign-language framework.
Handshape: This refers to the specific shape of the hands when producing a sign. Different hand shapes can change the meaning of a sign, as different vowels or consonants can change the meaning of a word in spoken language.
Orientation: This involves the direction the palms or fingers face during the sign. The orientation can be towards or away from the signer, up, down, or to the side, and like a hand shape, it can significantly alter the meaning of a sign.
Location: This refers to the location in the signing space where a sign is produced, such as in front of the face, on the body, or in the neutral space in front of the signer. Location helps differentiate signs that might otherwise be similar in hand shape, orientation, and movement.
Movement: Sign languages use various movements, including direction, path, and manner (smooth, fast, or slow). Movement is crucial for expressing different concepts and can change the tense or aspects of verbs, among other things.
Facial Expressions: In sign languages, facial expressions are not just emotional indicators but are integral to grammar and lexicon, conveying distinctions in meaning, mood, tense, and sentence type (e.g., declarative, interrogative).
Understanding the phonology of sign languages is similar to acquiring the alphabet of a spoken language. The distinct characteristics of these elemental units lay the foundation for forming more complex structures and meanings.
CLASSIFIERS (CL) in sign language are a group of hand shapes used to represent general categories of objects, people, places, or concepts, as well as their orientation, movement, and relationship to one another within the spatial context of the signer’s narrative.
These handshapes are not standalone signs but are employed within the structure of signed sentences to provide descriptive or locative information that complements the narrative.
Classifiers allow signers to convey complex visual-spatial information efficiently and vividly, making them essential to sign language’s grammatical structure and expressive power.
Object Classifiers: represent objects or people with various shapes and sizes. For example, a flat hand may represent a flat surface or vehicle, whereas an upright index finger can denote a person standing.
Locative Classifiers: describe the location of objects or the spatial relationships between them. They can indicate where something is situated or how items are arranged relative to each other.
Plural Classifiers: used to depict groups of objects or people and their distribution in space. These classifiers can show the arrangement of objects, such as items lined up in a row or randomly scattered.
Element Classifiers: convey information about natural elements or substances such as water, fire, smoke, and wind, illustrating the movement or texture of these elements.
Body Classifiers: represent parts of the body or whole-body actions. They can show how a body part moves or is positioned in space.
Movement Classifiers: illustrate how an object or person moves within a space, including the direction, manner, and speed of movement.
Instrument Classifiers: show how an object is manipulated or used, often indicating the type of grip or action performed with tools or utensils.
Size and Shape Specifiers: provide specific details about the size, shape, or orientation of objects, enhancing descriptive accuracy and visual clarity in narratives.
A Quiet Place. The depiction of sign language—specifically, ASL—was heavily researched. They cast a deaf actress to play Regan for the express reason that she could help tutor the cast so they feel fluent. Individual characters also have their own "accent": Lee signs in a stern manner, Evelyn is elegant, Marcus is laconic, and Regan is sassy.
In Dune, multiple characters use hand signals to give orders to their subordinates. In fact, there are entire sign languages developed separately by both the Atreides and the Harkonnens, as well as even more subtle ones developed by the Bene Gesserit, that allow them to communicate irrelevant information verbally and important stuff with their hands, making sure that even if they are overheard, the enemy won't learn anything.
Beauty and the Beast (1987 series) has a deaf character who had grown up in the tunnels in "An Impossible Silence" and "Sticks and Stones" who communicated through ASL. The second episode was groundbreaking in that there were several scenes where deaf characters communicated in on-screen silence, with no voiceover or even background music, something the deaf actors involved fought hard for, not wanting someone else's voice to overshadow their own "voices".
The Shape of Water: Elisa is mute, and thus uses real-life American Sign Language to communicate. She also teaches the fish person how to sign, since he can't physically talk either.
Koko the Gorilla: Sign language is a powerful way for people of all hearing abilities to communicate. It can even be used to communicate with gorillas. In the 1970s, language researcher Dr. Penny Patterson began working with Koko, a western lowland gorilla, teaching her sign language. Research has shown that gorillas (and other large apes) have language skills similar to those of small children, and throughout her life, Koko learned more than 1,000 different signs. Koko was able to have entire conversations in sign language, as well as play word games and make up her own signs.
Sources: 1 2 3 4 ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs
Thank you for your kind words, really love doing these! Studying how other media accurately depict these hand movements could also be helpful. More examples and information in the sources linked above. Also have these previous posts:
Writing Notes: Deaf Characters & Sign(ed) Languages
theartofmadeline
2087
dededos
yousharknotpass
kaledo-art
prguitarman
gummygunk
ellievsbear
jacobvanloon
