I don’t know what these folks are complaining about, I have no problem understanding what she’s saying. However I just now figured out she’s using sign language and not some telepathic or electronic link a la Lobot.
Medal. Waving her fingers in the m form where a medal should be. Also, without ASL: Obviously Malaya is disliked. Options are either “back-up Malaya” or “give Amazigirl a medal”. Context indicates humour is in the mass dislike of Malaya. QED, medal.
its closer to a ‘N’ than a ‘M’, but it really looks like neither of those. the pointer and middle finger would have to be hooked over the thumb to be a ‘N’ and the ring finger would have to join those to be a ‘M’. Its like cursive rather than print, two humps for ‘n’, three humps for ‘m’.
Remember not to forget about ‘T’ (pointer hooked over thumb), which i’m assuming your error.
p
I’m assuming there’s a word for medal in ASL, so she’s probably not signing a letter. Usually you only spell-sign for names or neologisms.
Annie
Some signs use the letter they start with (like when Jen mentioned that if you change Marcie’s hand to an L, it means “lazy.” To a C, it means “character.” Some signs use the letter the word starts with in French because of ASL being based in French and French Sign Language.
And a great many signs use a letter handshape. Handshape is important and there’s a name or descriptive word for most of them. A lot of the handshape names reference a fingerspelling letter. Marcie is using an ‘N handshape’ here. The letter ‘n’ has nothing to do with it. The sign is supposed to mimic pinning a medal to one’s chest. But because of the similarity of that handshape to a manual N, that’s what it’s called.
A great many words use handshapes that are described as a letter when that letter has nothing to do with the word. For example both “donkey” and “stubborn” use a b-handshape to represent a donkey’s ear. That shape just happens to match up with the letter B.
The handshapes have names like that because until very, very recently it was difficult to learn a new sign if no one you could physically be near knew it. So, in ASL books and dictionaries and the like, there would be a picture or two replicating the sign as best as possible, but there would also be a description telling you the hand shape, palm orientation, type and direction of the movement, etc to help people understand how to sign it more easily.
Annie
I’m really no trying to be a know-it-all or something, just want the right information out there.
P- there’s several signs that are actual signs that are fingerspelled. They’re called “lexicalized signs.” (This is a fairly new term, by the way. They used to be called “loaned signs.”
For example, look up on YouTube or an online ASL dictionary how the words “bank”, “job”, and “style” are signed. They aren’t just fingerspelled as you would do for someone’s name. They’re usually done with a specific flourish that kind of makes them a mix between typical signs and typical fingerspelling.
Annie
To make an ‘N’ you do not need to wrap your fingers over your thumb. In fingerspelling ‘M’ and ‘N’ are often signed with the fingers pointing out.
Also, describing a handshape as being a certain letter doesn’t always mean it’s going to look exactly like that letter. Having the pointer and middle finger out, either with the thumb tucked in to the hand or sticking out like in the sign for “no” is often described as an “N handshape.”
Leorale
I am now imagining that Annie’s last name is Sullivan and she is typing on an internetted typewriter from the Past.
Annie
*quickly hides her dark glasses* I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Actually, to the best of my knowledge, Anne Sullivan didn’t know ASL. Or at least she didn’t know much (I could be wrong, though.) She was blind in one eye and her vision in the other wasn’t too great and this was all from a very young age. I can’t imagine that actual ASL would have been easy for her to learn or all that useful even if she had.
She knew the manual alphabet and she and Helen made up signs that were easier for Helen to “read” with her hands for words they used often.
I can’t stand communicating in the manual alphabet alone for very long. It’s slow and frustrating. Imagine having to spell aloud every word you wanted to say. Like talking about something “grown-up” around a toddler, but with every single word, not just the ones you don’t want the kid to hear. Then add in lots of hand cramps.
🙂
364 thoughts on “Roller derby”
Jen Aside
That was fast
Ahighfunctioningsociopath
Malaya is, unfortunately, always fast
newllend
Ah I see what you did there.
Jen Aside
It just occurred to me to see what her name actually means.
From Wikipedia:
– Swahili for a “woman of the town”
– a genus of the mosquito
Jen Aside
[sorry, I’ll be fair: the Filipino word that means “freedom”]
Mango
You left out the obvious (on purpose?)
Malaya (newspaper), after the Tagalog word meaning “free” or “freedom”
Charlie Spencer
Or it’s the opposite of “May not lay ‘er”
Tufto
Plus a term for the Malay Peninsula.
dekho1
Actually, word “malaya” (cyrillic малая) means “small girl” in Russian.
This is the real purpose for Willis’s word choice.
Jen Aside
…oh THAT kind of “Asian”! I see! [/sarcasm]
Never Simple
Alright raise of hands who Else saw this coming?
newllend
Aye
Vile Gamer
What is Marcie saying?
Plasma Mongoose
Willis, we need you or anyone else who can read ASL.
Yotomoe
We gotta go fight Amazi-butt.
David M Willis
use your context clues
hoovy_woopeans
my context clues arent helping Willis
its like high school english class never happened
Dr. Zeus
Dunno, either, or neither would be my guesses.
Willoughby Chase
Ah, thank-you Obi Wan-Kenobi!
Kraang the Somewhat Wobbly
I don’t know what these folks are complaining about, I have no problem understanding what she’s saying. However I just now figured out she’s using sign language and not some telepathic or electronic link a la Lobot.
Maveric1984
Looks like “medal” to me. She’s pointing to her chest where one would be pinned.
Dr. Zeus
Quick google shows that you’re right. I guess I’m just too used to medals around the neck. That and I can be thick.
Cody B
The real clue is in the options listed. Nobody is going to help Malaya.
isitsevenyet
That was my guess, though I would have expected it to include the letter “m” in the sign, but it’s an “n” or close to it, and that confused me.
I suppose the fact that I know a little sign language myself was my downfall in this case.
newllend
Translation: fuck that shit.
Jen Aside
http://www.signingsavvy.com/sign/MEDAL/1803/1
Jen Aside
Hmm, if she made an “L” with her hand instead, that means “lazy”
Kraang the Somewhat Wobbly
Thank you, that’s a terrific resource, you rock like Satan, as always.
Allcool-dontcare
Thank you Jen for this useful resource we shall now understand her sign languages the lazy way with the internet minus context clues
ditrysia
I believe she’s suggesting they fucking run.
Stara
Medal. Waving her fingers in the m form where a medal should be. Also, without ASL: Obviously Malaya is disliked. Options are either “back-up Malaya” or “give Amazigirl a medal”. Context indicates humour is in the mass dislike of Malaya. QED, medal.
Kelly
And here I figured it was “yes” (i.e. both)
yourfisharemine
its closer to a ‘N’ than a ‘M’, but it really looks like neither of those. the pointer and middle finger would have to be hooked over the thumb to be a ‘N’ and the ring finger would have to join those to be a ‘M’. Its like cursive rather than print, two humps for ‘n’, three humps for ‘m’.
Remember not to forget about ‘T’ (pointer hooked over thumb), which i’m assuming your error.
p
I’m assuming there’s a word for medal in ASL, so she’s probably not signing a letter. Usually you only spell-sign for names or neologisms.
Annie
Some signs use the letter they start with (like when Jen mentioned that if you change Marcie’s hand to an L, it means “lazy.” To a C, it means “character.” Some signs use the letter the word starts with in French because of ASL being based in French and French Sign Language.
And a great many signs use a letter handshape. Handshape is important and there’s a name or descriptive word for most of them. A lot of the handshape names reference a fingerspelling letter. Marcie is using an ‘N handshape’ here. The letter ‘n’ has nothing to do with it. The sign is supposed to mimic pinning a medal to one’s chest. But because of the similarity of that handshape to a manual N, that’s what it’s called.
A great many words use handshapes that are described as a letter when that letter has nothing to do with the word. For example both “donkey” and “stubborn” use a b-handshape to represent a donkey’s ear. That shape just happens to match up with the letter B.
The handshapes have names like that because until very, very recently it was difficult to learn a new sign if no one you could physically be near knew it. So, in ASL books and dictionaries and the like, there would be a picture or two replicating the sign as best as possible, but there would also be a description telling you the hand shape, palm orientation, type and direction of the movement, etc to help people understand how to sign it more easily.
Annie
I’m really no trying to be a know-it-all or something, just want the right information out there.
P- there’s several signs that are actual signs that are fingerspelled. They’re called “lexicalized signs.” (This is a fairly new term, by the way. They used to be called “loaned signs.”
For example, look up on YouTube or an online ASL dictionary how the words “bank”, “job”, and “style” are signed. They aren’t just fingerspelled as you would do for someone’s name. They’re usually done with a specific flourish that kind of makes them a mix between typical signs and typical fingerspelling.
Annie
To make an ‘N’ you do not need to wrap your fingers over your thumb. In fingerspelling ‘M’ and ‘N’ are often signed with the fingers pointing out.
Also, describing a handshape as being a certain letter doesn’t always mean it’s going to look exactly like that letter. Having the pointer and middle finger out, either with the thumb tucked in to the hand or sticking out like in the sign for “no” is often described as an “N handshape.”
Leorale
I am now imagining that Annie’s last name is Sullivan and she is typing on an internetted typewriter from the Past.
Annie
*quickly hides her dark glasses* I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Actually, to the best of my knowledge, Anne Sullivan didn’t know ASL. Or at least she didn’t know much (I could be wrong, though.) She was blind in one eye and her vision in the other wasn’t too great and this was all from a very young age. I can’t imagine that actual ASL would have been easy for her to learn or all that useful even if she had.
She knew the manual alphabet and she and Helen made up signs that were easier for Helen to “read” with her hands for words they used often.
I can’t stand communicating in the manual alphabet alone for very long. It’s slow and frustrating. Imagine having to spell aloud every word you wanted to say. Like talking about something “grown-up” around a toddler, but with every single word, not just the ones you don’t want the kid to hear. Then add in lots of hand cramps.
🙂
Kraang the Somewhat Wobbly
She’s slurring. It’s the beer.
Doctor_Who
“Now we can have two beers each!”
Dion
DEAF PERSON WITH ASL HERE.
First panel sign is “print”, which is often used for “newspaper” as well.
Second sign in last panel is pin/medal.
Kraang the Somewhat Wobbly
ROCK ON.
Plasma Mongoose
Thank you, I was able to guess the medal sign but not the one in the first panel.
fishamaphone
I believe Marcie is saying “Reboot.”
Jen Aside
That’s all fingers [or one].
Roborat
Yea, I miss that show too.
-Sentinel-
Ditto.
JebJeb
Well she had that coming.
Aizat
But she didn’t see that coming.
rachel
HOT
HOT
HOT
HOT
Yotomoe
Don’t touch it, you’ll burn.
rachel
ewwwwwww
Maveric1984
If you see blasting caps don’t touch them!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skfZQ9fRpf4
For you Tom Hanks!
Maveric1984
Here you go:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbc_LxfhSoY&feature=kp
rachel
oh, oh why did I click? I CANNOT RESIST! now, even though I hit back faster than a second near-viewing of goatse, it is in my heaaaaaad
Maveric1984
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6MlHxAzLXA
rachel
HOORAY definitely going to rewatch that movie, possibly tonight :):):)
JustCheetoDust
Chris Cooper really sold me on that movie.
Flimsyfishy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVENWl8uBeg
This video is quite… hot you could say?
Kraang the Somewhat Wobbly
It has a certain… je n’est ces qua.
-Sentinel-
je ne sais quoi
Deanatay
Which means…..
…
I don’t know what.
Deathjavu
I may not have been happy about yesterday’s strip, but I find today’s…acceptable.
Yotomoe
UNACCCEPTAAAAAAABLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
Doctor_Who
30 YEARS DUNGEON!
Aizat
20 YEARS NO TRIAL!
Jen Aside
12 YEARS A SLAVE
wait
nothri
5 days a stranger, and 7 days a skeptic.
Doom Shepherd
EIGHT DAYS A WEEK!
jesslin
It’s not enough to show I care…
Maveric1984
7 days and 7 nights was an underrated movie