AMONG SCHOOL CHILDREN
In taking observations among school-boys and girls, I had this uniform experience: All denied any knowledge
of the Sign Language, at first, but were themselves surprised on discovering how much of it they had in established use.
One very shy little girl—so shy that she dared not speak—furnished a good illustration:
“Do you use the Sign Language in your school?” I asked.
She shook her head.
“Do you learn any language but English?”
She nodded.
“What is the use of learning any other than English?”
She raised her right shoulder in the faintest possible shrug and at the same time turned her right palm slightly up.
“Now,” was my reply, “don’t you see you have answered all my three questions in signs which you said you did not use?”
Following the subject, I said: “What does this mean?” and held up my right hand with the first and second fingers crossed.
“Pax,” she whispered; and then, after further trials, I learned that at least thirty signs were in daily use in that local school.
This was in England. In America the sign “Pax,” or “King’s cross,” is called “King’s X,” “Fines” or “Fins” or “Fends,” “Bars up” or “Truce,” meaning always, “I claim immunity.”
This is a very ancient sign and seems to refer to the right of sanctuary. The name “King’s cross,” used occasionally in England, means probably the sanctuary in the King’s palace.
In general I found about 150 gesture signals in
established use among American school children, namely:
- Me (Tap one’s own chest).
- You (Pointing to you).
- Yes (Nod).
- No (Shake head).
- Good (Nod and clap hands).
- Bad (Shake head and grimace).
- Go (Pushing flat hand forward, palm forward).
- Come (Drawing in flat hand, palm toward one).
- Hurry (The same repeated vigorously several times).
- Come for a moment (Beckon with forefinger, hand unmoved).
- Stop (Flat hand held up, palm forward).
- Gently (Flat hand held low, palm down, gently waved).
- Good-bye (Flat hand held high, palm down and forward, fingers quickly waved up and down).
- Up (Point up).
- High (Flat hand, palm down, held up at arm’s length).
- Deep (Left flat hand palm down at level of mouth, right palm up, as low as possible).
- Heaven (Point up very high and look up).
- Down (Point down).
- Forward (Swing index forward and down in a curve).
- Backward (Jerk thumb over shoulder).
- Across (Hold left hand out flat, palm down, run right index across it).
- Over or Above (Hold out flat left, palm down, and above it hold ditto right).
- Under (Reverse of foregoing).
- Hush (Index finger on lips).
- Listen (Curved hand behind ear).
- Look (Flat hand over eyes).
- Look there (Point and look in same direction).
- Touch (Reach out and touch with index).
- Taste (Lay finger on tongue).
- Smell (Hold palm to nose).
- Friendship (Hand shake).
- Warning (Index finger held up).
- Threatening (Fist held up).
- Weeping (With index finger at each eye, trace course of tears).
- Shame on you (Point one index at the person and draw the other along it several times in same direction).
- You make me ashamed (Cover eyes and face with hands).
- Mockery (Stick tongue out at person).
- Disdain (Snap fingers toward person).
- Scorn (Throw an imaginary pinch of sand at person).
- Insolent defiance (Thumb to nose, hand spread).
- Arrogant (Indicate swelled head).
- Pompous (Indicate big chest).
- Incredulity (Expose white of eye with finger, as though proving “No green there”).
- I am no fool (Tap one side of the nose).
- Joke (Rub side of nose with index).
- Connivance (Winking one eye).
- Puzzled (Scratch the head).
- Crazy (Tap forehead with index then describe a circle with it).
- Despair (Pulling the hair).
- Sleepy (Put a fist in each eye).
- Bellyache (Hands clasped across the belly).
- Sick (A grimace and a limp dropping of the hands).
- Applause (Clap hands).
- Victory (Swing an imaginary flag over head).
- Upon my honor (Draw a cross over heart or cross the hands over breast).
- I am seeking (Looking about and pointing finger in same directions).
- I am thinking (Lay index on brow, lower head and look out under brows).
- I have my doubts (Slowly swing head from side to side).
- I will not listen (Hold flat hands on ears).
- I will not look (Cover eyes with hands).
- I forget (Slowly shake head, and brush away something in air, near the forehead).
- I claim exemption, or “Fins” or “Bar up” (Middle finger crossed on index).
- I beg of you (Flat hand palm to palm, pointing to the person).
- I pray (Clasped hands held up).
- I am afraid, or surrender (Hold up both flat hands, palm forward).
- I wind him around my finger (Make the action with right thumb and index around left index).
- I have him under my thumb (Press firmly down with top of right thumb).
- You surprise me (Flat hand on open mouth).
- I send you a kiss (Kiss the finger tips of right hand and throw it forward).
- Search me (Hold the coat flaps open, one in each hand).
- Swim (Strike out with flat hands).
- Dive (Flat hands together, moved in a curve, forward and down).
- Will you come swimming? (Two fingers in V shape held up level).
- Will you? or Is it so? (Look, nod and raise brows).
- Fool or Ass (A thumb in each ear, flat hands up).
- Cut-throat (Draw index across throat).
- Indifference (A shoulder shrug).
- Ignorance (A shrug and a head shake).
- Pay (Hold out closed hand, palm up, rubbing thumb and index tips together).
- Jew (Flat hands waved near shoulders, palms up).
- Bribe (Hold hollow hand, palm up, behind one).
- It is in my pocket (Slap pocket with flat hand).
- Give me my bill (Beckon, then write on air).
- Match (Make the sign of striking a match on the thigh).
- Set it afire (Sign match, and then thrust it forward).
- Pistol (Making barrel with left index, stock and hammer with right hooked on; snapping right index from thumb).
- That tastes good (Smack the lips).
- The food was good (Pat the stomach).
- Bad taste (Grimace and spitting out).
- Bad smell (Hold the nose).
- Bend (With right hand bend left index).
- Break (With fists touching, make as though to bend a stick, then swing the fists apart).
- Hot (Wet middle finger in mouth, reach it forward and jerk it back).
- Cold (Fists near shoulder and shaken).
- Paint (Use flat right as a brush to paint flat left).
- Shave (Use finger or thumb on face as a razor).
- Wash (Revolve hands on each other as in washing).
- Knife (With right fist as though holding knife, whittle left index).
- Revolver (Hold out right fist with index extended and thumb up).
- Gun or shooting (Hold hands as in aiming a gun).
- Drive horses (Work the two fists, side by side).
- Give me (Hold out flat hand, palm up).
- Write (Make the action with index).
- Strike (Strike down with fist).
- Fighting (Make the fists menace each other).
- Drinking (Lift right hand to mouth as though it held a glass).
- Smoking (Make as though holding a pipe and drawing).
- Rub it out (Wet tips of right fingers, and seem to rub).
- Thank you (Bow and, at the same time, swing flat right, palm up, a little way down and to one side).
- Church (Hands clasped, fingers in, but index fingers up and touching).
- Get up (Raise flat right, palm up, from low up high).
- Sit down (Drop flat right, palm down, from high, down low).
- Here (Pointing down, hand swung in small circle).[1]
In all, 110; besides the compass points, the features of the face, the parts of the body, the numerals up to 20 or 30, and a great many half-established signs, such as
book, telephone, ring the bell, etc., which, if allowed, would bring the number up to nearly 200.
As another line of observation, I have asked New York boys, “How many signs does the Broadway policeman use in regulating the traffic?” Any bright child remembers presently that the officer seldom speaks, could scarcely be heard if he did. Indeed, he relies chiefly on Sign Language and hourly uses the established signs for “Stop,” “Come on,” “Come here,” “Go right,” “Go left,” “Go back,” “Hurry up,” “Go easy,” “I warn you,” “I’ll punish you,” “Pass,” “Keep behind me,” “Scorn,” and, perhaps, one or two others.
While not infrequently the small boy responds with the sign of “insolent defiance” that is used the world ’round, and was probably invented by Cain and Abel.
Similarly, the car conductor uses the signs for “Do you want this car?” “Do you want transfer?” “How many?” “Go on,” as well as most of the above.
Evidently, then, the Sign Language is used of necessity in much of our life where speech is impossible.