Where did 'bored/boring' sign come from?

Lukin

Lukin

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I was thinking of apes or chimpanzees picking their noses to empty the snot... :confused:
 
I remember that one in ASL class - it's got to be the most embarrasing sign to do. Do people use other words instead? I'd imagine it'd be a conversation stopper....

Laura
 
I do the sign but over further on my cheek, more under my eye. I hope that's not the sign for something else hahaaa :)
 
Deanne said:
I do the sign but over further on my cheek, more under my eye. I hope that's not the sign for something else hahaaa :)
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Then you would be signing the word incorrectly.
 
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Tousi said:
Then you would be signing the word incorrectly.
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Yes, yes I would. No one has ever not understood it though. Tons of signs get done a little differently depending on signs before or after, context, or if they're just awful ;)
 
Deanne said:
Yes, yes I would. No one has ever not understood it though. Tons of signs get done a little differently depending on signs before or after, context, or if they're just awful ;)
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Are you hearing or deaf? How old are you? And why do you sign the word, "bored" that way?
 
Deanne said:
Yes, yes I would. No one has ever not understood it though. Tons of signs get done a little differently depending on signs before or after, context, or if they're just awful ;)
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Not really
 
That's a lot of questions. I'm hoh, an adult, and I sign it because if I do it correctly, my kids think it's the funniest thing on the planet and I happen to think it's a bit distasteful. Moving the sign one inch hasn't ever been a big deal in real life conversations.
 
Deanne said:
Yes, yes I would. No one has ever not understood it though. Tons of signs get done a little differently depending on signs before or after, context, or if they're just awful ;)
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What do you mean "if they're just awful?"
 
Deanne said:
That's a lot of questions. I'm hoh, an adult, and I sign it because if I do it correctly, my kids think it's the funniest thing on the planet and I happen to think it's a bit distasteful. Moving the sign one inch hasn't ever been a big deal in real life conversations.
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Uh, oh. You are judging and modifying ASL signs to suit your taste?
 
Reba said:
Uh, oh. You are judging and modifying ASL signs to suit your taste?
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If it's embarrasing like this word, yes. Of all the signs that have evolved, how is it no one thought to modify this word?

Laura
 
You gotta admit.....it is strange. Why something like picking your nose? Thumb twiddling would be more accurate. Hell Id sign it by making a motion I was sticking my thumb my ass before I'd make like I was picking my nose. Who picks their nose when they're bored?
 
Hmmm, I never considered it to be embarrassing at all. Do you think Santa gets embarrassed every time he does it? "And laying a finger aside of his nose, and giving a nod, up the chimney he rose". :hmm:
 

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Lau2046 said:
If it's embarrasing like this word, yes. Of all the signs that have evolved, how is it no one thought to modify this word?

Laura
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I don't find it the least bit embarrassing. If you are this easily embarrassed by signs you'll never gain fluency in ASL; you don't even respect the language.

Maybe nobody thought to modify this sign because nobody else is bothered by it.
 
Journey said:
Hmmm, I never considered it to be embarrassing at all. Do you think Santa gets embarrassed every time he does it? "And laying a finger aside of his nose, and giving a nod, up the chimney he rose". :hmm:
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Sorry but there's a big difference between laying a finger by the side of your nose and looking like you're about to pick your nose. One's a conversation stopper, Santa isn't....

Laura
 
ambrosia said:
You gotta admit.....it is strange. Why something like picking your nose? Thumb twiddling would be more accurate. Hell Id sign it by making a motion I was sticking my thumb my ass before I'd make like I was picking my nose. Who picks their nose when they're bored?
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First of all, I have seen people pick their noses, and I have never confused their actions for the sign BORING, and vice versa.

Secondly, you can use thumb twiddling, too. There is no rule in ASL that prohibits that.

Third, not all ASL signs are iconic. Not every sign is based on some object's appearance or on some representative action. The same with spoken languages. Not every word is onomatopoetic.

ASL is not just a refinement of natural gestures. It is a language.
 
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