Also see: "The gender sign" (discussion)
Note to readers: Time passes. Conventions change. Language
evolves. Things that were written many years ago (such as the information
below) will seem either odd or obvious as more and more time passes. Often
the best we can do is strive to be kind and courteous to the best of our ability
with the information we have at the time while doing what we can to continue
learning more information.
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A student asked me about gender neutral signing.
Placement of certain signs near the forehead has traditionally been associated
with a masculine form (boy,
dad, brother, uncle, grandfather) and placement near the chin has traditionally
conveyed the
feminine form.
I asked my wife (Bee), "Why it is that all the male signs are up near the
brain and all the female signs are down near the mouth?"
She informed me: "That's because men think they know what they are
talking about but women really do."
Seriously though, the etymology (history) of this male/female location
links back hundreds of years ago to head-gear.
Hats were traditionally worn by
men whereas women typically wore "bonnets" that were tied under the chin. The
current sign for BOY-(male) is based on the tipping of a hat. The sign for GIRL-(female) is
based on the string of a bonnet running along the jaw line.
A student asked me, "What about "gender neutrality? How would we sign
'sibling?'"
I shared this story with the student:
A number of years back a person who identified as being both male and female (an intersex person
having both male and characteristics) in the Sacramento, California region showed me a sign for what
they
called "DA-MOM." (Which could also be labeled "DAD-MOM.") They and their partner
used this sign in their home with their children. The sign consists of the
traditional "5"-handshape but instead of doing it at the forehead or the chin it
is done midway between the forehead
and the chin (on the cheekbone). Thus their approach to gender neutrality was to
use a neutral location for the sign. Other's used the same approach. Over time that sign has become a
common way to refer to a parent in a non-binary way.
A similar approach is used for a gender-neutral version of "sibling" by starting
the sign at the side of the side of the face midway between the forehead and
chin.
By doing certain signs half-way between the "male" / "female" signing
locations we effectively strip them of "gender."
For example, the sign for COUSIN is "gender-neutral." However,
COUSIN can (in context) be signed higher or lower to add gender.
Thus we see "location" (or placement of a sign) functioning as a morpheme adding
the meaning of "male" or "female."
Notes:
Note: There is a sign that is common in Deaf churches wherein the phrase
"brothers and sisters" is used frequently. The "BROTHERS-AND-SISTERS" sign (when
done casually by a skilled signer) starts near the dominant-side-midpoint of the
face (non-contact). The hand (in a modified "L"-handshape) moves
downward/forward while changing to a formal-"G"-handshape, quickly moves back up
to a position slightly below the original starting location (while changing into
the original loose-"L" handshape) and then moves down/forward again to make
contact with the non-dominant "1"-hand. The two concepts (BROTHER and SISTER)
have become a single compound sign "BROTHER-SISTER" which, in context, carries
the meaning of "brothers and sisters" -- which in further context actually means
"congregants of this church" which is not specifically about male and female but
rather about being members of a group that have feelings toward other members of
that group as if they were siblings.
Note: The more casually signs such as DAD, BROTHER, UNCLE, COUSIN, or
SIBLINGS are done -- the lower (and further from the head) the starting location.
Thus often you will see (advanced signers doing) the sign BROTHER starting off
to the side of (and forward of) the face below the midpoint. Out of context the
"advanced casual" version of the sign BROTHER could be misconstrued to mean
"sister."