If you had to say the word telephone in sign language, you’d probably do the thumb and pinky to the head. In the past, though, it was one fist to the ear, one fist to the mouth — just like the old fashioned candlestick phone! The current sign is still a bit skeuomorphic. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Sign Language for “Telephone””
We were talking about how words evolve and sign language evolves too.
And one of my favorite examples of that is the sign for telephone. You know, it’s commonly made with the pinky and the thumb extended and held up to your ear. But it used to be that the sign for telephone was to put one fist to your ear and the other in front of your mouth. You know, like the old-fashioned candlestick phone, you know. That’s funny. Like Andy Griffith.
But even now, that’s not exactly right. I know. I was going to say, in the future, it’ll probably be holding out your palm and tapping it, right, to make a phone call? And that reminds me, you do improv. And improv, isn’t it a sign of an amateur when they do the phone that way? Instead of miming like they’re actually holding a phone in their hand?
Yeah. Yeah, right.
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