Anachronistic signs:
An anachronism is "a thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that
in which it exists, especially a thing that is conspicuously old-fashioned" (Lexico).
Source:
"anachronism." Lexico,
Powered by Oxford.
Web. 31 Dec 2019 <https://www.lexico.com/definition/anachronism>.
An anachronistic sign is a sign which depicts or is based on a thing, idea, or
process that is not current.
The following is a partial list of anachronistic signs or "versions" of signs:
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BUS: Dominant crooked V handshape reaches up and tugs down twice on an imaginary
overhead cord to alert the driver that one wants to get off at the next stop.
CAMERA The sign represents an old style camera that was held up to the eye which
then peered through a hole and then the person taking the picture clicked on a
button to 'take a picture.' Those cameras and the ASl sign for camera remain in
use even though current telephones have built- in phone-cameras which, for
millions of people, make the old style cameras and separate digital cameras
obsolete.
CLOCK: The sign represents an old wall-mounted clock, most were circular in
shape; these preceded clocks that could sit on a bedside table, on a desk,
counter etc.
COFFEE: The sign represents an old wooden 'coffee box' which had a crank on the
top used to grind the coffee beans.
COMPUTER-[tape-drive-version] The sign represents the tape drives on very old,
big, bulky computers.
CREDIT-CARD-[anachronistic] To charge/pay for a purchase using a debit or credit
card One sign represents an old-style unit on which the card was placed and then
a mechanism was manually 'slid across the card and back' to record the card's
numbers. See Signing Savvy - credit card. Today, one can 'swipe' or 'insert' the
card in a small machine or hold a smartphone so a clerk can use a gadget to read
one's banking information allowing for an instant payment in the store.
FORK: A utensil used for eating. Very early forks had two prongs, as represented
in the ASL sign for fork; In a later era, table forks became three-pronged and
in an even later era they became the four-pronged forks we use today. The sign
for a two-pronged fork continues in use today.
HEARING-AID: Hearing aids The sign represents the old style 'hang over the ear'
hearing aids which are very unlike the tiny contemporary aids that fit in the
ear canal.
HOTEL: The sign represents an earlier era when most hotels had one or more
'attention flags' flying out front get the attention of potential guests.
INK: Dominant I handshape, dip the little finger into an imaginary inkwell,
represented by a non dominant C or O handshape. Then, 'write' with the tip of
the finger on an imaginary piece of paper, represented by the flat palm of the
non-dominant hand.
MANAGE: Direct / Control: The sign seems to represent a person's hands holding
two reins and using them to manage/direct or control a horse.
NEWSPAPER: Print, Publish based on old style printing process.
NEWSPAPER-[open-the-newspaper] Newspaper signed with "A" handshapes that mime
opening a paper newspaper and holding it in an 'open' position for a split
second and use head and eyes to pretend you are reading it. Reading a newspaper
in a paper format is, of course, different from the method millions of people
now use, to read a newspaper online.
PAGER: Pagers declined in use in the late 1990s, the advent of mobile phones
greatly reduced the pagers industry although some pagers are still in use. When
direct talk became available, millions of people stopped using pagers and opted
for newer forms of technology that offer more efficient forms of communication.
TAKE-a-picture: The sign represents using an old style camera that was held up
to the eye which then peered through a hole and then the person taking the
picture clicked on a button to 'take a picture.' Those cameras and the ASl sign
for camera remain in use even though current telephones have built- in
phone-cameras which, for millions of people, make the old style cameras and
separate digital cameras obsolete.
TELEPHONE: Dominant Y handshape represents the old style, bulky headset from a
rotary dial phone.
TELEPHONE-[Answer the phone]
TELEPHONE-[Hang up or Hung up the phone]
TELEPHONE-[Kept calling, kept calling or Keeps calling, keeps calling]
TELEPHONE-[Talk on the phone]
TELEPHONE-[To 'call around.']
TELEPHONE-ringing-[Y-hand-version] depicts the jangling of a phone in the phone
cradle.
VOTE: The sign represents someone dropping a ballot into a ballot box which is
very unlike the way millions of people now fill out their ballot and 'mail it
in' or vote by a voting machine which is also known as e-voting.
Notes:
Special thanks to Lyn Wiley (wordsmith, poet, and so much more) for being the
catalyst of and contributor to this list.
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