Need to steel a sign :)

Gobae

Gobae

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Every summer I do a couple of blacksmithing demonstrations at local county fairs in my area (Albany, NY and Rensselaer, NY). At both fairs I get a handful of Deaf people who stop by and I describe what I'm doing and answer their questions in ASL.

Recently it's come to my attention that one of the signs that I learned for "metal" ("x" hand along jawline; like "girl" but signed with an "x") means "sex" in some areas. Is this true? And does anyone know of other signs for: "iron", "steel", and "metal"?
 
hi! I know that sign to mean sex in my area but if you move the "x" under your chin twice it is steel.
that's how I learned it anyway...
Hope that helps a little.
 
Could be a regional variation. :dunno:

In South Carolina, we use the SEX/GENDER sign with the X-shape touching twice down the side of the face (like SEX is shown at aslpro.com). That same sign (with modified movement) is used here for the material RUBBER, or combined with CONDOM to mean "a rubber" or condom.

We use the X-shape under the chin for METAL. It usually means a generic "metal", and if you want to specify which kind, you usually spell it.

In the Southeast, I haven't seen anyone use the METAL sign for the SEX sign.
 
Munchkinsdad said:
hi! I know that sign to mean sex in my area but if you move the "x" under your chin twice it is steel.
that's how I learned it anyway...
Hope that helps a little.
Click to expand...
Where is your area?
 
In my experience, steel is expressed when the forefinger taps the front teeth to indicate that something is hard and sex uses the X handshape and taps the top and then the bottom of the cheek.
 
SCBassist said:
In my experience, steel is expressed when the forefinger taps the front teeth to indicate that something is hard and sex uses the X handshape and taps the top and then the bottom of the cheek.
Click to expand...
X tapping the teeth is the GLASS sign. (Look at the example at aslpro.com)
 
The sign that Reba explains is, for me, metal.

Steel is when you point at your chin, then with the same hand, make an "i" and slide it along a pointing finger. That sign may well be a Pittsburgh sign.

Go Steelers!
 
Wokamuka said:
The sign that Reba explains is, for me, metal.

Steel is when you point at your chin, then with the same hand, make an "i" and slide it along a pointing finger. That sign may well be a Pittsburgh sign.

Go Steelers!
Click to expand...
That makes sense for Pittsburgh, yeah. :P
 
SCBassist said:
Straight forefinger Reba, glass is curved or "X"
Click to expand...
Thank you for the clarification about the straight forefinger; I missed that.

Still, I haven't seen anyone use that sign. Maybe it just never came up in conversation.
 
Sex is twice down cheek. Metal is "X" under chin moving from under neck, outwards.
 
I've never seen it signed like that. Perhaps, she's from a different area? Did you ask that person?
 
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