hi! just discovered this blog from your hearing loss post, which i ADORE. throughout it you mentioned pawspeak, and i was wondering if you had any sources/posts about it, or could describe its fundamentals very simply? sorry if youve already answered this!!! youre very cool
There's not too many fundamentals to share, really! Pawspeak is just the fandom term for a Clan cat sign language. Most people have their own takes on it.
Some people like to make it use two paws, other like to do a single paw in tandem with ear flicks and tail movements, some have omitted paw movements entirely and just use ear and tail signs. Most people aren't my queer ass who worked with a friend to ACTUALLY create a full Clan cat language with its own grammatical structure; so likewise, they're just making a cat approximation of a sign language.
So there's no rules! Do as you please! You can just adapt ASL or BSL for cat paws if you want, the same way no one bats an eye when people animate the cats lipsynching to English.
I would just try to remind you, and recommend, that your sign languages evolve from deaf people.
It's both a misconception, and insultingly common for media to show hearing people inventing sign language for the benefit of their deaf friends and family, when that's not how that happens. Deaf people have agency, theyre not just waiting for an abled person to bestow language on them. Deaf communities, and communities with high rates of hearing impaired people, come up with unique sign languages if they don't already have one!
These languages are often studied by linguists as examples of "isolate" language families, which mean they evolved without ANY genetic 'relation' to another language. Nicaraguan Sign Language is a neat example of that!
(The "hearing people invent sign" thing is perpetuated by the myth that Francosign, the language family containing ASL, was invented by one really nice philanthropist. It wasn't. The man took a bunch of words from an existing deaf community in Paris, which was likely a language under the BANZSL family, didn't care to record or learn what they were ALREADY speaking, and made up his own clunky system called "methodical signs" to make a "signed version" of French. This was practically useless for casual use. Actual deaf people mixed this with the languages they were ALREADY using to talk to each other to make new ones; one famous example of this is actually ASL.)
For BB I actually plan to show Pawspeak evolving as an isolate language after the Clan's move to the Lake. It's going to be born out of Gatherings and Aftergatherings-- while Clan cooperation has actually lead to a period so peaceful that it's allowed a proper community to form. Now with a stable population of hearing-impaired cats of all Clans, each of them bringing new signs and phrases home, it can standardize into a true language around the lake.
So then I can show how most of the signs come from RiverClan, mix with the signals WindClan uses to communicate across the moor, show how violent signs tend to be tail-based because they come from battle commands, etc.
It fits the themes of BB, and gives me a chance to show how fascinating sign languages really are. Even though it'd make sense for them to already have one, tbh, I think it's worth it. (Or maybe have Lake Pawspeak basically be a language that combined the several 'pawspeaks' of the various clans.)
Just had a random thought, assuming that Feathercloud and Snowpaw live to the Power of Three, how would they communicate with Jayfeather?
Since he can't see the signs for pawspeak and Feather and Snow can't hear Jay. Would they just read his lips?
A very valid question! Especially since Jayfeather is far from the first character to be blind ;)
But in Jayfeather's case, he's a very smart cat with the bonus of having sight in StarClan (if I remember correctly?). He would be able to learn a few signs on his own just by being physically shown how to do them or being taught them in StarClan briefly.
But he still couldn't see them sign. Feathercloud would would just speak like he normally does anyway, but Snowpaw might have some more difficulty remembering to talk over signing, but he would do it just for Jayfeather's sake.
Feathercloud and Snowpaw would be able to lip-read Jayfeather just as they would anyone else (though Snowpaw, again, would have a little more difficulty focusing on that).
It's ingrained in Feathercloud that it's rude to sign when people don't understand...but Brackenfur, Cherryfur, Mistlepaw, and Snowpaw have no such qualms and will definitely pawspeak in front of Jayfeather's face and snicker about it 😂 (not in a rude way, but in a jokingly "talk sh*t" way, that Jayf would immediately recognize and get light-heartedly mad at them for)
A little random post here because I have Feathercloud brainrot always <3
So, who in BT knows pawspeak (sign language), and how well do they know it?
Clan-by-Clan
ThunderClan: All cats in ThunderClan know some level of pawspeak, even if they refuse to learn it, just from constant exposure to Feathercloud and Snowpaw. Hard not to pick stuff up when you see it every day! The young kits are the only ones who don't know anything/much, and the apprentices are all still learning, but learning quick.
RiverClan: They don't know sh*t! The only cats who know anything would likely by Leopardfur's group, and even then it would only be basic stuff likely used on patrols (ex.: "over there," "prey," "wait," etc.), and they likely wouldn't remember how to sign it themselves anyway, and are quickly forgetting.
WindClan: Most cats in WindClan know some level of pawspeak! They aren't as exposed as ThunderClan, but many have actively dedicated themselves to learning for Ravenwing's sake, plus, they're smart enough to realize it makes for good communication in attacks/ambushes! That doesn't mean everyone's willing to learn, though.
ShadowClan: A few cats know pawspeak! Nothing drastic, but some cats like Badgerfang and Blossomtail have learned from being interclan friends with Ravenwing and the likes! A few others have picked up some sign briefly, but not enough to really understand much.
BloodClan: What's pawspeak?
Character-by-Character
Bluestar - Very little. Used to know more but actively lost it during her descent
Fireheart - Master at it! Doesn't use it frequently outside of talking with Feathercloud and Snowpaw, though
Spottedleaf - Master at it! Very dedicated to learning it and practices whenever she has time
Cinderpelt - Master at it but it took her a long time, especially post-Cricketheart death, and she has to relearn words a lot
Goldenflower - Knows a good chunk of the basics. Could theoretically hold a conversation, though stunted
Whitestorm - Forgetful at first but relearns quickly; able to hold a conversation
Frostfur - Actively refuses to "listen" to pawspeak (but she does know the basic words anyway, simply pretends she doesn't)
Brindleface - Finds it confusing, but she's starting to try and learn
Runningwind - Master at it! Learns every new word Feathercloud or Snowpaw makes immediately
Redtail - Formerly a master of sorts at it, but only got to know the basic/beginning of the language, and is now pretty rusty in StarClan, but is absolutely willing to learn when Cricketheart teaches him
Mousefur - Knows a lot but doesn't actively practice it or use it
Darkstripe - Knows the basics but also pretends he doesn't know (but more because he feels stupid for not remembering some signs)
Creekflower - Master at it! Struggles over some signs, though, and takes a moment to register pawspeak
Longtail - Knows a few of the basics, hasn't desired to learn it ever, but doesn't protest when he unintentionally learns some
Cherryfur - Master at it! Literally dedicated herself to learning it out of spite
Feathercloud - Master at it. Obviously. So what of spoken speech? He's a master at lip reading, and also a master at verbally speaking and keeping his volume, etc. Often will still speak even when signing
Cricketheart - Master at it, even in death! Refuses to let herself become shabby.
Graystripe - Formerly a master at it, became really rusty in RiverClan, and now has to relearn it
Dustpelt - Knows the basic stuff and more, especially patrol-focused, and is professional about it except when he decides to be mean
Brackenfur - Master at it! Actively corrects people when they get something wrong
Cloudtail - Knows a decent amount but absolutely sucks at actually signing any of it
Missingheart - Knew a decent amount and would try to hold conversations with Feathercloud, but ultimately give up and whine about it being to hard; needs to relearn
Lynxpaw - Knew a good amount so she could understand Feathercloud but would mockingly pretend not to know; is now violently being forced to learn it by Cricketheart in StarClan
Lostface - Like her mother, absolutely refused to learn, and genuinely doesn't know a lot past the minimal
Thornpaw - Knows some, but never understands anyway
Cliffpaw - Decently good at it, more due to being good at guessing the context than genuinely knowing some gestures
Ashpaw - Actually weirdly knows a lot of pawspeak. Never uses it, but he understands it fluently
Fernpaw - Struggling to learn, but is trying
Elderpaw - Pretty good at it, but still has some hiccups
Tulippaw - Currently knows nothing and is constantly confused; will learn a lot soon ;)
Mistlepaw - Master at it! Translates for Snowpaw all the time
Snowpaw - Once more, master at it, obviously. He's still learning words from Feathercloud, but he picks them up with ease. As for spoken speech, he isn't the best at lip reading and often relies on Mistlepaw to translate for him. He also rarely ever speaks and thinks everyone knows/should know pawspeak. When he does speak, his words are often slurred from lack of practice
Bramblepaw - Not the brightest, but is super eager to learn! Just often forgets a lot. Good at it regardless!
Tawnypaw - Decently good at it, but also still learning and does the context-clue thing like Cliffpaw
Willowpelt - Good at it! Feels embarrassed when she doesn't know words, which can prevent her from asking/learning
Sandstorm - Master at it! Feathercloud was her apprentice. There's some words she's missing, but she's honestly more fluent than Fireheart
Sorrelkit - Knows nothing, head empty
Rainkit - Knows nothing, head empty
Sootkit - Knows nothing, head a little less empty
Speckletail - Used to be like Frostfur, now learns for Snowpaw's sake, and gets really upset (at herself) when she can't understand something/get a signal right
Smallear - Genuinely probably the only cat who doesn't know anything, and uses the excuse of being old
Halftail - Knows a good amount, though can't hold a conversation
One-eye - Doesn't know too much but is good at what she does know
Dappletail - Master at it! But not perfect and often confuses signs
Lizardflight - Knows a lot but quickly forgetting due to lack of use
Mistyfoot - Learned a few signs when Graystripe accidentally used to do them, and remembers them
Leopardfur - Knew a little and mocked it but actually thinks some signs are useful and has remembered those ones
Reedpaw - Learned some! Doesn't remember any of it though
Copperleaf - Has learned some in passing! Knows greetings and such.
Dawncloud - Learned in passing/from her family, only remembers random words that feel useless to her, but thinks it's cool
Blossomtail - Knows a good amount! Can understand when others pawspeak
Badgerfang - Knows a good amount! Struggles more, but understands it
Swampfur, Oakfur, Littlecloud, Wetfoot, etc. - Learned random signs that they mostly forgot from family/friends. Oakfur has poor memory while Swampfur has a sharper one
Turtlepaw - Has learned some it through her family/WindClan friends; good memory for it
Tallstar - Knows it very well, uses many of the signs for orders, can forget the "casual conversation" words
Deadfoot - Master at reading it, struggles to sign words using his left front paw
Barkface - Knows most of it; just like memorizing herbs to him
Larksplash, Meadowsplash, Pigeonflight, Mistmouse, Ryestalk - Know some, especially what Tallstar's reinforced they learn, but can't hold conversation much, willing to learn
Sorrelshine, Webfoot, Crowfur, Stagleap - Know what Tallstar enforced but are hesitant to learn more
Tornear - Has a quick memory for it
Mudclaw - Finds it weird/confusing, only knows what Tallstar forced him to learn, doesn't like Ravenwing
Morningflower, Ashfoot, Onewhisker, Whitetail - Decently good at it
Airleap - Master at it, but fumbles over his signs a lot and doubts himself
Runningbrook - Master at it! Very dedicated to learning it and thinks it's really cool
Ravenwing - Master at it! Got rusty from his time as a barncat, but pick it back up easily
Barley - Master at it! Not used to having to learn so quickly, but did it for Ravenwing's sake
Gorsepaw, Storkpaw, Quailpaw - Learning and/or know the basics well
Tawnypaw II, Robinpaw, Rushpaw - Learning the basics only and hesitant
Gremlin, Scraps - Both have forgotten what little they learned at this point, but Gremlin would be incredibly happen to relearn and wants to while Scraps doesn't care as much but would still relearn
Hey Snowpaw! How's your training going? What's your favorite part so far?
"And the other apprentices are SO COOL!!! Aside from Elderpaw and Fernpaw, I never got to really talk to any of them. Ashpaw's so aloof and cool! Thornpaw's all squeaky like a MOUSE but he looks like a LION! And Mistlepaw says Tulippaw screams ALLLL night but I can't hear him, HAHA, so I think he's just kind of there!"
I feel pretty grim at the moment, but I said I'd do a post about barefooting stuff so I'm gonna do that now to cheer myself up. Under read more, it's long and boring. This is honestly just me talking to myself, like a journal or something, and is probably of very little interest to anyone else.
Sooooo. Where to start? Well, in short, I've been cutting way down on the amount I wear shoes, even when walking out and about.
I can't remember when I started doing it. I remember seeing someone I follow post about not wearing shoes, and being in my question-everything mindset, I decided to question why we wear shoes. And from the research I did, I found that we don't really need to???
Like, our feet went through millions of years of evolution to be good working feet, so there's no real need to them into shoes to walk. I actually found that conventional shoes change the shape of our feet a lot, and make them super sensitive, like sensory overload.
I was saying to my partner the other day actually, one way you could probably sort-of emulate autistic sensory overload in an allistic person who regularly wears shoes, would be to have them walk across some rough, textured road surface or some gravel or something.
So yeah, after I couldn't really find much reason to wear shoes, I started taking them off when I could. I think that was around June/July-ish? Maybe earlier? And now I'm quite often unshod, depending on anxiety level and how far I'm walking and whether I'm going in any places where I might get shoe-policed (i.e., told to put shoes on) and whether I have anyone with me.
In terms of how my feet have changed over that time, they haven't actually gotten any calluses... In fact, I actually lost the calluses on the back of my heels, as they were from footwear rubbing. I'm also not as tenderfooted anymore, so I can walk over highly textured surfaces that I found really difficult in the beginning, and I can almost cope with even the crushed limestone area where the car usually lives. Although that still sometimes kinda hurts.
As I study chemistry though, I know I can't keep this up during uni, as there's gonna be chemicals trodden all over the chem building, and that's flat-out not safe to walk barefoot around. I've put in an order for some minimalist shoes (Lems Primal 2s), so hopefully when they get here they'll be pretty comfortable.
One downside to walking barefoot is that, now I've found an alternative, I can't cope with wearing my old trainers anymore. The toe box is too small and it hurts and they're actually a size too small and it's just not good. My Converse are also similarly irritating, although they've always given me blisters sooooo... Yeah. At the moment I usually have either no shoes on, or some men's sandals my partner kindly got me. But yeah, hopefully the Lems will get delivered soon, and I should be sorted after that.
Sometimes I worry people stare at me for not wearing shoes, but to be honest I'm going to get stared at whether I have shoes or not these days. I have arms that are covered in scars, I usually wear a dog collar, I have a boy-ish haircut/look at the moment (and as a result I probably look "visibly queer") and my favourite jeans have been repeatedly ripped and repaired at the knees (and at the moment are in the "ripped" stage). And I tend to stim a lot, and generally move in weird ways. I'm going to get stared at no matter what really, so I might as well be comfortable. Just need to remind myself of that more often when I'm worried...
Going barefoot is nice though. I feel like I'm at home everywhere I go. And I can feel the ground and all the lovely textures and temperatures, and it seems to help my proprioception as well? As I often can't tell where my limbs are unless they're receiving data, and feeling the ground = constant stream of data = I know where my feet are, yay! Also, puddles. Puddles are epic.
I definitely need to go to bed now. Also, the maintenance person did ring, turned out my phone set itself to silent so I didn't know. Ugh. I'll sort that out tomorrow I guess.
