"At what point does any particular waiving of the hands in the air become
considered an authentic sign?"
I'm totally okay with it if any particular sign meets some sort of mythical
threshold of so called "authenticity." I just personally choose to be agnostic
about signs I haven't seen before -- until I gather or see more evidence
regarding the sign.
For those of you who may occasionally see me raise questions about a sign, a
parameter of a sign, or interpretation of a sign -- please see it as a simple
filtering or refining process.
Keep in mind that I *like* discussion and I *respect* the asking of questions.
When someone says "I saw this sign..." -- My first thought is "Cool!" My next
thoughts are "I wonder how many other people are seeing this sign? How
widespread is it? Is it documented yet? Should it be documented?"
I'm fairly cautious in regard to adding entries to my "Sign Bank" or to
Lifeprint). I don't grab my camera every time I see some new waving of the hands
in the air. Instead I put on my "detective cap" and start looking or asking
around.
I recall an interviewer asking me to do a segment on the latest "emerging"
signs. I declined and suggested he check with various Deaf social media
bloggers. I'm a lexicographer and an ASL instructor -- my focus is on signs that
are beyond the protologism and neologism stage.
I wrestle (all too often) with the question of "At what point does any
particular waiving of the hands in the air become considered an authentic sign?"
-- There is no specific "line of demarcation."
Think of a glass of water that is tipping. At first the water is contained and
limited. Then as it tips the water starts spilling out to "the world."
Eventually the glass tips over and the water becomes "widespread." When a sign
becomes "widespread" is the time for it to start showing up in ASL dictionaries.
Not "right or wrong."
Rather: "tipping point."
Notes:
Definition: "agnostic"
(In a nonreligious context) having a doubtful or noncommittal attitude towards
something.
(Source: Oxford Dictionary (Lexico) via Google).
Definition: "lexicographer"
A person who compiles dictionaries.
(Source: Oxford Dictionary (Lexico) via Google).
Definition "neologism"
A newly coined word or expression.
(Source: Oxford Dictionary (Lexico) via Google).
Definition: "protologism"
A newly coined word or phrase defined in the hope that it will become common; a
recently created term possibly in narrow use but not yet acknowledged.
Source: Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/protologism
Notes: