Sign (semiotics)

“ From each sign, from each printed word, go pen lines, which radiate and meander like a Congreve rocket, and spread themselves out at the margin in a luminous rain of phrases, epithets, and substantives, underlined, crossed, mixed, erased, superposed: the effect is dazzling. ”

“ Signs are small measurable things, but interpretations are illimitable, and in girls of sweet, ardent nature, every sign is apt to conjure up wonder, hope, belief, vast as a sky, and colored by a diffused thimbleful of matter in the shape of knowledge. ”

“ Thus the signs for "now," "past," and "will" are used with all verb signs to indicate time, and "finished" is used to designate the complete tenses. "One" and "many" are added or prefixed to mark the singular and plural, while "male" and "female" indicate "sex." Others of this class are the progressive sign and the auxiliary verbs.
In connection with its incompleteness and imperfection when compared with written or spoken language, it should be remembered that the sign language was originally designed as a means of educating young deaf children and the vocabulary was therefore limited. ”

“ Admitting the arbitrary character of sign, it is impossible to regard the word symbol as a true synonym. The symbol never is wholly arbitrary; it always maintains some more or less direct, natural relationship with the object for which it stands ”

“ The sign is no more than an instrument of simplification, an abbreviated formula. When the mind works with the aid of concepts, the co-operation of two factors, the one conscious, the other unconscious or subconscious, is required, in order that its labor may be legitimate and fruitful: on the one hand, we have words or signs, accompanied sometimes by a vague representation ”

“ As a whole, we gain the impression that a really distinct and more primitive stage of hieroglyphic writing by a substantially vaguer notation of words lay not far behind the time of the Ist Dynasty.
The employment of the signs are of three kinds: any given sign represents either (1) a whole word or root; or (2) a sound as part of a word; or (3) pictorially defines the meaning of a word the sound of which has already been given by a sign or group of signs preceding. The number of phonograms is very restricted, but some signs have all these powers. ”

“ But as a cognition must have already been there before it could receive a sign, consequently that knowledge which is denoted by the formation and application of a word must have preceded the symbol that denotes it. A sign, however, is necessary to give stability to our intellectual progress—to establish each step in our advance as a new starting-point for our advance to another beyond. ”

“ A good sign-maker, then, may become a power among his fellow-men. The deaf man or woman who can express his thoughts in only halting signs is greatly handicapped in his association with others—but let him learn the exact meaning of every sign in the most forceful and clear manner, and he can sway his audience as a speaking orator can. ”

“ An arbitrary sign, indication, or name can point to something unambiguously, without at all fathoming its nature, and therefore can be knowledge of fact: which an aesthetic or logical elucidation of ideas can never be. Every idea of sense or science is a summary sign, on a different plane and scale altogether from the diffuse material facts which it covers: one unexampled colour for many rays, one indescribable note for many vibrations, one picture for many particles of paint, one word for a series of noises or letters. ”

“ Signs only can be effective and constant through the law of standards. An idea is represented by a sound: the sound must have a distinct value in order to condense the image from the shapeless cloud of thought or feeling of which the idea is a part. When the sign-standards are relaxed, the word-values diminish and ideas of a similar order are confused—the bête noir of careless speech. ”

“ Sign language cannot show by inflection the reciprocal dependence of words and sentences. Degrees of motion corresponding with vocal intonation are only used rhetorically or for degrees of comparison. The relations of ideas and objects are therefore expressed by placement, and their connection is established when necessary by the abstraction of ideas. The sign talker is an artist, grouping persons and things so as to show the relations between them, and the effect is that which is seen in a picture. ”

“ In cases where the conception or origin of any sign is ascertained or suggested it should be annexed to the description, and when obtained from the gesturer will be so stated affirmatively, otherwise it will be considered to be presented by the observer. The graphic illustration of associated facial expression or bodily posture which may accentuate or qualify a gesture is necessarily left to the ingenuity of the contributor. ”

“ Signs, whether natural or arbitrary, which gain acceptance, especially if they are shortened, are ‘conventional.’ ‘Mimic action’ refers, e.g., to the sign for sawing, the side of one hand being passed to and fro over the side or back of the other.’Pantomime’ means, e.g., when the signer pretends to hang up his hat and coat, roll up his sleeves, kneel on his board, guide the saw with his thumb, saw through, wipe his forehead, &c. ”

“ A sign painted less distinctly than as it is seen in nature is obviously removed from its proper relative position, or else is untrue, and in either case it must have a weakening effect upon the picture. ”

“ In describing the position assumed to make the sign it is given as it would be in making the sign by itself. When a number of signs are made in succession, as in a continued narrative, they fall into the next position from the last without any stop, the movement of the arms and hands being practically continuous. The sign is made, usually in front of the body in an easy position, the hands, unless otherwise specified, being held on a line with the elbows or a little above. ”

“ No vocabulary of signs will be exhaustive for the simple reason that the signs are exhaustless, nor will it be exact because there cannot be a correspondence between signs and words taken individually. Not only do words and signs both change their meaning from the context, but a single word may express a complex idea, to be fully rendered only by a group of signs, and, vice versa, a single sign may suffice for a number of words. The elementary principles by which the combinations in sign and in the oral languages of civilization are effected are also discrepant. ”

“ In spite of the fact that it has been discarded from the school room and efforts made to relegate it to the past, the Sign Language is very much a live language. It is impossible for those who do not understand it to comprehend its possibilities with the deaf, its powerful influence on the moral and social happiness of those deprived of hearing, and its wonderful power of carrying thought to intellects which would otherwise be in perpetual darkness. ”

“ Must, indicating Necessity and Need.—Crook the forefinger of "G" hand, then turn it so the end points down; push the hand downward; the downward motion is often repeated several times.
Blame.—Place the "A" hand upon the back of the extended left thumb end up. To express the idea of accuse, while making the sign extend both hands toward the person who is blamed. To acknowledge oneself to blame, bring the sign toward you, placing the hands almost against the breast. Innocence is expressed by making the sign for "blame" and "not;" ”

“ Perhaps, or rather certainly, it was not really a sign on his forehead like an office stamp—things are not as simple as that in real life. I would sooner think it was something scarcely perceptible, of a peculiar nature—a little more intelligence and boldness in his look than people were accustomed to. This man had power, other people shrank from him. He had a ‘sign.’ One could explain that as one wished. And one always wishes what is convenient and agrees with one’s opinions. ”

“ For out of articulate sounds arise almost exclusively the completely different genus of signs, which we oppose to natural signs as being artificial signs. Here there is no longer any natural relation or bond between the sign and that which it signifies; it is the human will alone which produces the relation of ideal association through which the word becomes sign of the thing, as also the relation through which writing becomes sign of the word, and the letter-unit becomes sign of the sound-unit. ”

“ The formal sign to 'cease' or 'stop doing' anything is made by bringing the two hands open and held vertically in front of the body, one behind the other, then quickly pass one upward, the other downward, simulating somewhat the motion of the limbs of a pair of scissors, meaning 'cut it off.' The latter sign is made in conversation in a variety of ways, but habitually with one hand only. ”

“ Taking the illustration of the attempt to invent a sign for bird, before used, any one of a dozen, signs might have been agreed upon with equal appropriateness, and, in fact, a number have been so selected by several individuals and tribes, each one, therefore, being a synonym of the other. ”

“ If the soul of a word is its acoustic image, as it seems to be; if it is the one element or trait which all the others make possible through their synthetic action—the one element which, if lacking, would render the others inchoate—then the term sign is more logical, even, than it appears to be on the surface. ”

“ But in the gesture-language the relation between idea and sign not only always exists, but is scarcely lost sight of for a moment. When a deaf-and-dumb child holds his two first fingers forked like a pair of legs, and makes them stand and walk upon the table, we want no teaching to show us what this means, nor why it is done. ”

“ One of the most certain of my discoveries in the Simian speech, is the negative sign and the word "no." The sign is made by shaking the head from side to side in a fashion almost [Pg 74] exactly like that used by man to express the same idea. I have no longer any doubt of the intent and meaning of this sign, and the many tests to which I have subjected it compel me accept the result as final.
SIGN COMMON TO MAN AND SIMIAN
A little more than a year ago, my attention was called to this sign by the children who own the little Capuchin, Jack, in Charlestown. ”

“ The sign, the left and the laugh, all the tangle, the length of light, piece the pressing, to be near and that graciously makes hindering gracious in sleeping. The sent hindering is attacking clinging. ”

“ TIME-SIGNATURE (Lat. Signum Modi, vel Temporis, vel Prolationis; Germ. Taktzeichen) . A Sign placed after the Clef and the Sharps or Flats which determine the Signature of the Key, in order to give notice of the Rhythm in which a Composition is written. ”

“ By the aid of verbal signs we exercise an enormous power over all our faculties, for in repeating the sign we are enabled by the personal activity of our will to recall the image which it represents, and submit that image to our control. ”

“ In observing the maxim that nothing can be thoroughly understood unless its beginning is known, it becomes necessary to examine into the origin of sign language through its connection with that of oral speech. ”

“ This use of signs for the initial syllable of the word is one of those tricks of abbreviation to which the human mind inclines. It is however scientifically known as an application of the acrologic principle; viz: the use of a sign primarily representing a word to denote its initial syllable, or the initial sound. Thus we have the use of the letters “C” for century; “A. D.” for Anno Domini, and other familiar examples. Also, the signs for the Phœnician words Alph, Beth, Gimel, etc., which came finally to appear as the initial letters of these words. ”

“ The essential thing about a sign is that it shall be seen, that the circumstances of its appearance shall fasten attention. Not in America alone, but equally in all the civilized world, as a topic of study, this sign in the heavens commanded the attention of men. ”

“ It.—The "I" hand is moved toward an imaginary object with a twisting motion of the wrist.
His, Her, Hers, Theirs.—Make sign for pronoun and then add possessive sign, i. e., push open palm toward imaginary person.
Self (emphatic) .—The position and movement of the hand is similar to that in "him," "her," etc., but is made in an emphatic way or with great force.
Self (reflexive) .—The "A" hand is held with points of the fingers against the speaker.
Myself.—With the hand in position of making "A" strike the thumb against center of breast and repeat several times. ”

“ Of such self-expressive or natural signs, the gesture-language mostly consists. But where deaf-mutes live together, there come into use among them signs which a stranger can hardly make out until it is explained to him how they arose. They will, for instance, mention one another by nickname-signs, as when a boy may be referred to by the sign of sewing, which on inquiry proves to have been given him because his father was a tailor. ”

“ Less of practical value can be learned of sign language, considered as a system, from the study of gestures of actors and orators than would appear without reflection. The pantomimist who uses no words whatever is obliged to avail himself of every natural or imagined connection between thought and gesture, and, depending wholly on the latter, makes himself intelligible. ”