The Ancient Origins of Sign Handshapes
@article{Montgomery2002TheAO, title={The Ancient Origins of Sign Handshapes}, author={Georgene Bess Montgomery}, journal={Sign Language Studies}, year={2002}, volume={2}, pages={322 - 334} }
This article discusses the common origins of written scripts and sign handshapes in tally scores, the board abacus, and finger counting. The early roots of numbers in magic, prognostication, and religious numerology are shown to have resulted in familiarity with alphanumeric code switching particularly in the superstitious practice of fadic addition. The breakthrough of using handshapes for letters, not merely numbers, occurred in eighth-century Northumbria, where Bede recorded a one-hand…
One Citation
Fingerspelling and the Appropriation of Language: The Shifting Stakes of a Practice of Signs
- LinguisticsSign Language Studies
- 2019
Abstract:Recent studies have proven the specificity and advantages of fingerspelling from a linguistic point of view. However, while the use of fingerspelling is widespread today, it is limited to…
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