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Neapolitan Signs
It is fortunately possible
to produce some illustrations of the modern
Neapolitan sign language traced from the
plates of De Jorio, with translations,
somewhat condensed, of his descriptions and
remarks.
In Fig. 76 an
ambulant secretary or public writer is
seated at his little table, on which are the
meager tools of his trade. He wears
spectacles in token that he has read and
written much, and has one seat at his side
to accommodate his customers. On this is
seated a married woman who asks him to write
a letter to her absent husband. The
secretary, not being told what to write
about, without surprise, but somewhat
amused, raises his left hand with the ends
of the thumb and finger joined, the other
fingers naturally open, a common sign for
inquiry. "What shall the letter be
about?" The wife, not being ready of speech,
to rid herself of the embarrassment, resorts
to the mimic art, and, without opening her
mouth, tells with simple gestures all that
is in her mind. Bringing her right hand to
her heart, with a corresponding glance of
the eyes she shows that the theme is to be
love. For emphasis also she curves
the whole upper part of her body towards
him, to exhibit the intensity of her
passion. To complete the mimic story, she
makes with her left hand the sign of
asking for something,
which has
Neapolitan public letter-writer and
clients.
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been above described (see
page 291). The letter, then, is to
assure her husband of her love and
to beg him to return it with
corresponding affection. The other
woman, perhaps her sister, who has
understood the whole direction,
regards the request as silly and
fruitless and is much disgusted.
Being on her feet, she takes a step
toward the wife, who she |
| thinks is unadvised,
and raises her left hand with a sign
of disapprobation. This position of
the hand is described in full as
open, raised high, and oscillated
from right to left. Several of the
Indian signs have the same idea of
oscillation of the hand raised,
often near the head, to express folly, fool. She
clearly says, "What a thing to ask! what a
fool you are!" and at the same time makes
with the right hand the sign of money.
This is made by the extremities of the thumb
and index rapidly rubbed against each other,
and is shown more clearly in Fig. 77. It is
taken from the handling and counting of
coin. This may be compared with an Indian
sign, see Fig. 115, page 344. So the sister is clearly disapproving with
her left hand and with her right giving good
counsel, as if to say, in the combination,
"What a fool you are to ask for his love;
you had better ask him to send you some
money." |
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Neapolitan hot-corn vender
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| In Naples, as in American
cities, boiled ears of green corn are vended
with much outcry. Fig. 78 shows a boy who is
attracted by the local cry "Pollanchelle
tenerelle!" and seeing the sweet golden
ears still boiling in the kettle from which
steams forth fragrance, has an ardent desire
to taste the same, but is without a soldo.
He tries begging. His right open hand is
advanced toward the desired object with the
sign of asking or begging, and he
also raises his left forefinger to
indicate the number one—"Pretty
girl, please only give me one!" The
pretty girl is by no means cajoled,
and while her left hand holds the
ladle ready to use if he dares to
touch her |
| merchandise, she
replies by gesture "Te voglio dà no
cuorno!" freely translated, "I'll give
you one in a horn!" This gesture is
drawn, with clearer outline in Fig.
79, and has many significations,
according to the subject-matter and
context, and also as applied to
different parts of the body. Applied
to the head it |
 |
| has allusion,
descending from high antiquity, to a
marital misfortune which was
probably common in
prehistoric times as well as the present. It
is also often used as an amulet against the
jettatura or evil eye, and misfortune
in general, and directed toward another
person is a prayerful wish for his or her
preservation from evil. This use is ancient,
as is shown
on medals and statues, and is
supposed by some to refer to the
horns of animals slaughtered in
sacrifice. The position of the
fingers, Fig. 80, is |
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also given as one of Quintilian's oratorical gestures by the
words "Duo quoque medii sub pollicem
veniunt," and is said by him to be
vehement and connected with reproach
or argument. In the present |
| case, as a response
to an impertinent or disagreeable
petition, it simply means, "instead
of giving what you ask, I will give
you nothing but what is vile and
useless, as horns are." |
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Disturbance at signing of Neapolitan
marriage contract
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Fig. 81
tells a story which is substantially the
foundation of the slender plot of most
modern scenic pantomimes preliminary to the
bursting forth from their chrysalides of
Harlequin, Columbine, Pantaloon, and
company. A young girl, with the consent of
her parents, has for some time promised her
hand to an honest youth. The old mother, in
despite of her word, has taken a caprice to
give her daughter to another suitor. The
father, though much under the sway of his
spouse, is in his heart desirous to keep his
engagement, and has called in the notary to
draw the contract. At this moment the scene
begins, the actors of which, for greater
perspicuity and brevity, may be provided
with stage names as follows:
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Cecca, diminutive for Francisca, the mother
of—
Nanella, diminutive of Antoniella, the
betrothed of—
Peppino, diminutive of Peppe, which is
diminutive of Giuseppe.
Pasquale, husband of Cecca and father of
Nanella.
Tonno, diminutive of Antonio, favored by
Cecca.
D. Alfonso, notary.
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| Cecca
tries to pick a quarrel with Peppino, and
declares that the contract shall not be
signed. He reminds her of her promise, and
accuses her of breach of faith. In her
passion she calls on her daughter to
repudiate her lover, and casting her arms
around her, commands her to make the sign of
breaking off friendship—"scocchiare"—which,
she has herself made to Peppino, and which
consists in extending the hand with the
joined ends of finger and thumb before
described, see Fig. 66, and then separating
them, thus breaking the union. This the
latter reluctantly pretends to do with one
hand, yet with
the other, which is concealed from her irate
mother's sight, shows her constancy by
continuing with emphatic pressure the sign
of love. According to the gesture
vocabulary, on the sign scocchiare
being made to a person who is willing to
accept the breach of former affection, he
replies in the same manner, or still more
forcibly by inserting the index of the other
hand between the index and thumb of the
first, thus showing the separation by the
presence of a material obstacle. Simply
refraining from holding out the hand in any
responsive gesture is sufficient to indicate
that the breach is not accepted, but that
the party addressed desires to continue in
friendship instead of resolving into enmity.
This weak and inactive negative, however,
does not suit Peppino's vivacity, |
| who,
placing his left hand on his bosom, makes,
with his right, one of the signs for
emphatic negation. This consists of the palm
turned to the person addressed with the
index somewhat extended and separated from
the other fingers, the whole hand being
oscillated from right to left. This gesture
appears on ancient Greek vases, and is
compound, the index being demonstrative and
the negation shown by the horizontal
oscillation, the whole being translatable
as, "That thing I want not, won't have,
reject." The sign is virtually the same as
that made by Arapaho and Cheyenne Indians
(see Extracts from Dictionary, page 440,
infra.). The conception of oscillation
to show negation also appears with different
execution in the sign of the Jicarilla
Apaches and the Pai-Utes, Fig. 82. The same
sign is reported from Japan, in the same
sense Tonno, in hopes that the quarrel is
definitive, to do his part in
stopping the ceremony, proceeds to blow out
the three lighted candles, which are an
important traditional feature of the rite.
The good old man Pasquale, with his hands
extended, raised in surprised displeasure
and directed toward the insolent youth,
stops his attempt. The veteran notary,
familiar with such quarrels in his
experience, smiles at this one, and,
continuing in his quiet attitude, extends
his right hand placidly to Peppino with the
sign of adagio, before described, see
Fig. 68, advising him not to get excited,
but to persist quietly, and all would be
well.Fig. 83 portrays the first
entrance of a bride to her husband's house.
She comes in with a tender and languid mien,
her pendent arms indicating soft yielding,
and the right hand loosely holds a
handkerchief, ready to apply in case of
overpowering emotion. She is, or feigns to
be, so timid and embarrassed as to require
support by the arm of a friend who
introduces her. She is followed by a male
friend of the family, whose joyful face is
turned toward supposed by-standers, right
hand pointing to the new acquisition, while
with his left he makes the sign of horns
before described, see Fig. 79, which in this
connection is to wish prosperity and avert
misfortune, and is equivalent to the words
in the Neapolitan dialect, "Mal'uocchie
non nce pozzano"—may evil eyes never
have power over her. |
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Coming home of Neapolitan bride.
Indian Sign
Language |
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Sign Language
Among North American Indians Compared with
that Among Other Peoples and Deaf-Mutes,
1881
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