- About Visitor
"Well when I started doing sign language classes we weren't actually told that a deaf person had to give you your sign name, and indeed none of us had even heard about sign names until one class when we were practicing communicating with some of the deaf kids in the school and found out they were supposed to be finding out about us so they could assign a name to us. it wasn't the main purpose of the class, of course, it was just something they thought we'd enjoy. The deaf kids didn't mind one bit of course because they'd become quite used to us coming for classes every Thursday and watching them play cricket afterwards. The kid I was talking to was a very shy girl (only about 2 years younger than me. She was 11, I was 13) so she found it a bit difficult trying to pick out a name for me until i waggled my ears at her to make her laugh. she laughed so hysterically every time i did it that i suggested the first letter of my name (Keneisha) in a waggling movement by my right ear and she smiled and nodded so that became my name.
Over the years, though, as I grew older (OK not that much older.. I'm only 15 1/2 now) but i preferred people to call me cj instead of Keneisha so i changed my sign name to the letters c and j by my right ear to avoid confusion (of course i also moved, but if i were to go back to the country where i was given my first sign name, without a doubt i would expect them to use my first one)
so i guess it depends on circumstances and also i think though you may find it stupid to wait until you are given a name.. it's a sort of tradition.. why break it?"
- About Visitor
"I'm the only one in my family who's deaf, and in elementary school, my sign name was a K over the heart. That's like the default sign name around here, just the first letter of your name. So in 6th grade, I gave myself a new sign. My mom was dating a guy who was interested in sign language, so he gave her a sign: the sign for beautiful with a K. My mom gave my sister hers: the sign for talk with E. So, I think you have to be part of the deaf community to give a name to make a name for yourself. If someone in the deaf community gives you a sign name it's an honor."
- About Visitor
Books on Sign Names
Dawnsign Press has published a short book on sign names, The Book of Name Signs: Naming in American Sign Language (compare prices).What is your sign name? How did you get it? Submit your sign name story for addition to these pages.
