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Spelling vs Signing: 

Also see: Dactylaprothmia

When it takes more effort to "sign" a concept than to fingerspell the concept -- what do you think the Deaf Community is going to do?

Typically we (in the American Deaf Community) are going to spell it.

Even if spelling takes about the same amount of effort as signing -- if the signed version is ambiguous or causes confusion -- we are going to spell choose to spell instead of sign in order to avoid ambiguity or confusion in low context situations.

People choose to seeks signs for well-established fingerspelled concepts typically for the following reasons:

1. Expansions for those who don't know what "bail" means.

2. English-avoidance syndrome: A condition in which signers attempt to purge their signing of as much English as possible (even if it means foregoing long-established / common initialized or fingerspelled versions of signs -- thus creating confusion) because they feel that doing so will help themselves to be perceived as being better signers. I'm not referring to natural language evolution. I'm referring to those who go out of their way to "purge" to an extent that it starts creating worse communication rather than better.

3. Capitulations to Hearing people who are reluctant to fingerspell since Hearing people (typically) do it so badly or slowly.

Clue: Pressuring the Deaf community for a sign for something we already commonly, regularly, and near effortlessly spell -- is a form of seeking to make your life easier -- not ours.

 



 

Notes: 
See: BAIL

 

 




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