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Thursday, March 05, 2009

American Sign Language and "A Stedman Caters Of Crows"

Venery comprises two arts: (1) the art of love, and (2) the art of giving names to teams and squads of animals. I am talking of the second. If I were to be involved with the first, I would indeed be "just talking".

An example of a terms of venery would be a "pride" of lions. There very often is a conscious effort to do synecdoche in the venery term: a part standing for a whole, as in our example, the lion's proud bearing is extended and changed to mean a group of lions.
Of course, there is a lot of the joker and trickster in all this, and good venery terms should bring a smile to the face, a good example being a "rash" of dermatologists. The Periodic Englishman has a post titled Like A Murder Of Crows - That's All
http://cricketpage.blogspot.com/2008/11/like-murder-of-crows-thats-all.html 

The word "murder" in the title is a venery term for a team or herd or whatever of crows. Since "murder" is a bit too "zero at the bone" for a whole bunch of us, I tried my hand at it, but the best I could do was the latter part of the post title above.
A "stedman caters" is a type of English bell change ringing, and I have heard it used in memorials, so there you have it. I never was one for the brisk, light, and breezy. I fancy it over "murder", since "stedman caters" sounds a good deal like "Scatman Crothers", an actor, whom I enjoyed, and a "scatman crothers" of crows is not too bad, either.

There are other possibilities. Arabic has a phrase: slower than Noah's crow which suggests other routes. I think of Noah's crow as a guy taking advantage of the situation: there Noah is, water all around, no place to go, totally castaway - except for the winged breeds. Of course, crows, being crows, would milk this opportunity for everything it's worth, neglecting the fact that sooner or later, the flood would recede, and the slow, cud-chewing bovines would again rule the world of Hamburgers and Light.

This post actually was to deal with signing among the deaf. There is the possible "venery" term : a hush of deafs, or a hush of hearing impaireds. Personally, I think "hush" is becoming over-used, being as it is already used in the well known "a hush of ushers", which usage seems to be the definitive usage, according to H.W.Fowler, who spoke of the officious blighters who "ushed" the chapel in his youth, and went about with their indices held to their thin, pale, manta-ray-like lips shushing all the lads.

Signing has always been a very sensual experience in my part of the world.  I mean, the utter joy of the flow of words from a good speaker added to the fluid gestures...and if she plays the acoustic guitar afterwards, so much the better. I do not mean to imply anything here. I happened to have delved into the joys of hearing-impaired intimacies in my youth. I was, indeed, magna cum gallaudet for a brace of years.

6 comments:

Ruth said...

smile.

I think you're a wee bit beyond me. But this was fun to read.

To answer you, no, the Zimbabwe fast was a one time event leading up to a delegation of folks (is delegation a venery?) going before the Southern Africa Conference at the time, pleading for Mugabe to be removed.

Montag said...

Well, I am actually just rushing around and shoving words and concepts together - really. It is a lot like moving furniture around, seeing how it looks in new situations.
A great deal of the time, I just takes pleasure in the flow of language - it only has a oil slick of meaning on the surface.

Hmmm. Good question on "delegates". Answer would be no, but exactly why I am not sure. Venery seems to be a bit of fun and word play rather than just words for groups.

Ruth said...

Yeah, I think you're right. It was more tongue in cheek. It would need to be a more imagistic word, such as 'a gossip of delegates' (as in one of those stupid conferences I've had to go to). But there may already be a venery in place as gossip.

Montag said...

I like the gossip of delegates.

Unknown said...

A Cavern of Crows . . .

Montag said...

Not bad.
It captures the darkness and death image of ravens.

At first, I though you had written " a Clavern" of Crows. I thought the reference to the KKK to be not bad at all, referring - as it does - to "Jim Crow".......
dang! that just popped into my head.
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