Places in the UK - Commanding Hands

Place names in the UK often relate to a key feature or characteristic of the location. For example, the sign for SHEFFIELD is the same as CUTLERY referencing it’s iconicity for steelworks and the sign for DERBY is a one-handed version of SHEEP referencing the animal the city is famously related to. Many place names are initialised, or have initialised versions. These often correspond with syllables, for example COVENTRY is signed using the letters C and V while MANCHESTER can be signed using the letters M and C. Some signs utilise the first two letters in a place name, for example A and B for ABERDEEN or O and X for OXFORD.

Signs can vary regionally and it’s recommended to check with your local Deaf community what sign is used for the places near you.

Cities

Important information about signs for cities and towns
In formal situations, fingerspell the place name in full or use an initialised version. Some place name signs can be signed using the individual words that form longer words, for example man and chest are sometimes used to sign Manchester. However, such signs are not always favourable with the Deaf community due to their reliance on English component words. Professionals such as interpreters are advised to avoid such signs in favour of initialised versions. Signs that reference a key feature or characteristic of a place are preferred but are still not recommended in formal settings.

Countries

The signs for countries are used interchangeably for it’s people and language if relevant, i.e. BRITAIN and BRITISH have the same sign, WALES and WELSH have the same sign, SCOTLAND and SCOTTISH have the same sign etc.

General vocabulary

Here’s some vocabulary that can help you use place names in sentences and conversations.

There are two commonly used signs for BORN, both are demonstrated below.

Example sentences

Here are some example sentences about places in BSL (note the use of rhetorical questions in some of these sentences which serve to highlight key information).

I live in London is signed ME LIVE LONDON

I was born in Coventry is signed ME BORN WHERE? COVENTRY

I was born in Scotland and live in England is signed ME LIVE ENGLAND, BORN SCOTLAND

I was born in Cardiff, Wales is signed ME BORN CARDIFF, WALES

Where do you live? is signed YOU LIVE WHERE?

Video demonstration

Exercise: Try putting together a short paragraph to introduce yourself, including your name, age, where you were born and where you live now.

Key points to remember
1. Place names often have signs that are representative of something commonly associated with the place.
2. There are regional variations for some city names so you may encounter other signs to the ones demonstrated here.
3. Fingerspelling a city in full, or using the initials of the syllables, is best practice in formal situations and acceptable in any situation.