First NZ sign language dictionary

A man approaches you with his right hand held up at shoulder level, palm forward, the first three fingers extended apart and the little finger tucked under the thumb.

He then moves his hand several times from side to side.

Is he trying to say good day or tell you the All Blacks’ latest score? Fortunately not. The man is using New Zealand sign language to tell you he lives in Wellington.

For All Black, he’d hold out his right hand with the palm down and sweep it to the left, up in an outward arc. Then he’d hold his fist up, palm to the left and press the knuckles to his right cheek and move down the jaw.

Wellington and All Black are just two of hundreds of familiar Kiwi terms — such as Milo, Weetbix, pakeha, Maori and marae — described in A Dictionary of New Zealand Sign Language to be released next week.

The dictionary, which describes and illustrates more than 4000 signs, is the first of its kind to show sign language used by an estimated 26,000 New Zealanders.

Victoria University’s English Language Institute and the Deaf Association of New Zealand began research in 1991 with the contributions of 90 deaf people.

General editor Graeme Kennedy, a Victoria University linguistics lecturer, said the dictionary was significant because New Zealand sign language had been recognised only in the past 10 years.

“There’s been a long battle in the deaf community over recognition of manual communication. For about 100 years the prevailing philosophy was against signing. They tried to teach people to lip-read,” he said.

Mr Kennedy said the origin of the sign for Wellington was unknown, but the three fingers could represent a capital “W”, which is different to the usual sign used for the letter.

As to waving the fingers a little to the side. Could it be describing the city blowing in the wind?

The sign for National Party was the same for cigar, while the sign for the Labour Party was the same as Lotto.

“In the deaf community the picture is that the Nats are the patriotic … It’s a very old sign for the National Party. It’s been around for 40 or 50 years,” he said.

HOW TO SIGN ‘WELLINGTON’: Hold your right hand at shoulder level, palm forward. Point your first three fingers up and apart, and tuck your little finger under your thumb. Shake your hand side-to-side several times.

‘NATIONAL PARTY’: Form an ‘O’ with the forefinger and thumb of your right hand. Hold it, other fingers extended and palm facing left, to the right corner of your mouth. Move your hand forward and down, twisting the palm outwards.

‘LABOUR PARTY’: Hold your right hand in front of you, with the thumb and forefinger making an ‘L’ shape. Move your hand forward from the elbow, horizontally.