Names Names
In addition to first, middle, last and pet names
(Bertram Omar Gayle and Owen), I have had many other names. Most of these names
are based on my first name and on my pet names (e.g., B, Bert, Bertie,
Bertie-Bert, Berch, Berchie, Oyen, Owi, Ow); the rest are nicknames (e.g.
Betty, Egg-An-Bread, Blacks, Blackie, Deacon). Some are meant to poke fun at my
perceived sexuality (e.g. Uman Man, Bman, BertRAM, GAYle); some describe my complexion
or the size of my cheeks (eg. Blakie, Blacks, Blacka, Pum-Pum Jaw); some as signs
of informality and or familiarity (e.g., Bertie, Berch, Owen); some are
mispronunciations by Africans (e.g. Beh-cham, Beer-cham) or by Jamaicans (eg.
BerTHram, Birth-Ram, Bercham).
And More Names
There are newer names too. Since I started to grow
locks, I have been called by all almost every name known to Rastafarians,
expect "Bobo" - Dred, Ras, Fire, and so on. Thanks to Facebook (FB),
many people now know me by my FB name, Black Raven. Since becoming involved in
the Deaf community, I've had two name signs.
Sign Language Names
In the Deaf world, sign names are signs the Deaf
use identify someone. No! It has nothing to do with Deaf people forging your
signature. It's simply the way someone same is "said" in sign
language. Many things can be said about name signing in Deaf cultures. I'll
not get into all of that. For now, I will say two things. First, only a Deaf
person can give you a sign name. Second, a common sign naming practice involves
using one of your hands to form the first letter(s) of someone's English
name(s) and placing that letter-shaped hand somewhere on the body. Sometimes, where
the hand is placed on the body and how the letter-shaped hand moves (if it
moves) tells us something about the person who is named.
So, for me, my
first sign name was the letter B, placed on the forehead and moved along the top
of the head, following the natural curve of the head, to the back of the head.
Why? When I was given this name sign, I had a Mohawk! I now have locks, so my
name has changed. My new name still begins with the B-hand. This time, however,
the B-hand is placed at the side of the head, just above the ears, and it moves
down just above the shoulders. Hint: flowing hair!
Deaf
people also use sign names that are 100% descriptive. That is, they have
nothing to do with the letters of the alphabet, they only tell you something
about someone - how s/he looks, how s/he walks, what s/he does
and so on. (This sorta reminds me of the nicknaming practice in the community
in which I grew up in Westmoreland. Imagine there are three people, one with a
big nose, another with a large forehead and another with one leg, they'd be
called "nose," "farid" and "one foot" respectively.
Let's get back to sign naming. In another post, I'll talk about the
similarities I've noticed between nicknaming and sign naming in JA.)
Sign Language Names in St. Elizabeth
For my research, I am studying a language called
Country Sign Language (CSL). CSL originated in the southern part of our
"bread basket" parish, St. Elizabeth. I visited the Deaf community in
St. Elizabeth for the second time two weekends ago. When I was there noticed
that
- the
older members of the community have two name signs - one in CSL and the in
Jamaican Sign Language (JSL)
- name
signs in CS are 100% descriptive
- when
you ask a Country Signer her/his name sign, s/he is most likely to give you
her/his JSL sign name
- the
name signs in JSL *appear to involve only a hand forming a letter of the
alphabet and placed somewhere on the body
When did Country Signers begin moving away from the
more descriptive type of name signing?
When did they begin using the hand-alphabet type of sign names? Well, an
alphabet is important to education. My guess is that the new practice started
with the introduction of Deaf education and with exposure to other sign
languages in which the hand-alphabet is important - JSL, American Sign Language
[and British Sign Language (?)].
And why do Country Signers prefer to give outsiders
their JSL name signs? Are they simply being nice by using the Sign Language with
which outsiders are more familiar? Is
the preference reflective of what's happening in the community - the slow death
of CS and the prestige of JSL?
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