|
Post by waruitanuki on Feb 3, 2007 6:30:34 GMT
People use normal facial expressions when using sign language. In any case, considering the entire page in question is filled with alchemical symbology and hand signs like Kat and Annie's are common in alchemical and Hermetic texts, I think the alchemy explanation is more likely, even if no one has found exactly what those hand signs mean.
|
|
|
Post by fjodor on Feb 4, 2007 11:16:51 GMT
|
|
|
Post by La Poire on Feb 4, 2007 16:49:50 GMT
Can anyone translate ASL? Why would it be ASL? That means AMERICAN Sign Language, you know (I didn't, but wikipedia did). Apparently BSL – British Sign Language – is completely different. I doubt it is, anyway, it's probably some sort of occult stuff, likely in some way connected to alchemy.
|
|
|
Post by Aspen d'Grey on Feb 5, 2007 4:50:17 GMT
I was actually reffering to the fact that someone actualyl found what the hand symbols stand for.
Lemme find it...
|
|
aidan
New Member
Posts: 25
|
Post by aidan on Feb 27, 2007 22:39:38 GMT
Can anyone translate ASL? On the "Treatise" page Kat and Annie are signing: www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=121Kat is fingerspelling the letter 'X' while Annie signs the letter 'K'. But I don't know what their left hands are signing. I found it's really hard to google handsigns. That's definitely the ASL 'X' sign, but Annie's doesn't look like any 'K' I'm familiar with. If it's ASL, my guess would be the left hands were signing "good"/"thank you", but it's hard to get much ASL meaning into a static picture, most signs move. But it doesn't seem very likely to be ASL to me. I think it's more alchemical symbolism. It also suggests to me that it might be a version of a pre-existing (and old) picture, with Annie and Kat substituted in.
|
|
coyotagoat
Junior Member
Helluva poker face.
Posts: 65
|
Post by coyotagoat on Dec 9, 2009 16:35:31 GMT
It could just reflect their dual natures, like lots of ther things in that treatise. Not knowing ASL, I just assumed it was artistic when I saw it. The symbols are opposite but equal, and they 'complete' each other (i.e four fingers plus pinkie = full hand).
|
|
|
Post by Ulysses on Dec 9, 2009 20:13:12 GMT
That's definitely the ASL 'X' sign, but Annie's doesn't look like any 'K' I'm familiar with. It's 'F'. I don't know about the other hand, I'm flicking through some websites, see what I can turn up.
|
|
|
Post by Mr Pitchfork on Dec 9, 2009 21:03:13 GMT
Speaking of Treatises, here you can see what resembles a Rose Cross Sigil above Kat's head. However, there are no curves in a Rose Cross Sigil. Can anybody tell me why this strikes me as familiar?
|
|
|
Post by phriot on Dec 23, 2009 5:41:58 GMT
Third Treatise: Latin"Terra" - Earth "Aer" - Air Obscured Word - "Aqua"? - Water "Bonum Finitum" (what I get for translation) - Well-rounded good (Tom might have meant) - Good Neighbor?
|
|
|
Post by fjodor on Dec 23, 2009 10:09:07 GMT
Bonum Finitum = finite Good. Found it here: www.sacred-texts.com/alc/hm2/index.htmLooks like a mighty interesting site on alchemy and treatises: "Therefore, you are to know, that in Antimony also there is a Spirit, which effects whatsoever in it, or can proceed from it, in an invisible way and manner, no otherwise, than as in the Magnet is absconded a certain invisible power, as we shall more largely treat in its own place, where we speak of the Magnet."
|
|
|
Post by phriot on Dec 23, 2009 14:46:36 GMT
Bonum Finitum = finite Good. I blame Cassel's Latin & English Dictionary for listing "finitus (-a, -um)" as the definition of "finite," but "well-rounded" as the definition of "finitus (-a, -um)."
|
|
|
Post by Tierra Y Libertad on Dec 25, 2009 6:06:25 GMT
I would assume in #121 for the treatise they are holding their hands to their chins in order to perform the sign for "thank you", which is done by pressing your ring, index and middle fingertips to your chin and moving them away in a straight line towards whoever you're thanking.
I affirm that Kat is signing X and Antimony is signing F. I think it stands for the the X-Files,
|
|
|
Post by Mr Pitchfork on Dec 25, 2009 6:49:28 GMT
I feel like this observation has been made before, but I cannot put my finger on it!
|
|
donna
New Member
Posts: 34
|
Post by donna on Apr 21, 2015 21:42:41 GMT
Does anyone have a translation for the Greek that appeared over Zimmy and Gamma's heads in the library in comic [73]? Transliterated I think it is "kindynos entomo". Is the "kindynos" a reference to the movie Posohi Kindynos? I hope not since it is supposed to be a terrifying movie about abuse. But that's all google finds. ... sort of like how Kat's t-shirt "Dwr Budr" was a reference to the song by Orbital, whose name was also on a poster on her wall. That reference didn't seem related to the story, except Tom may have been listening and liking... "Entomo" could apply to Zimmy: entomo-, entom- (Greek: insect, bug; literally, "cut up, cut in pieces"; an insect because it appears to be segmented)... Zimmy seems to have a "familiarity" with bugs... and cut up bugs... and spliced giant bugs. Also-n-stuff, did anyone notice that the library alcove where G&Z were found [in 73] had what appeared to be an open skylight? Does Zimmy need access to the outside weather for some reason? Like now in [195]... My husband and I are wondering is "danger! Bugs!" Is a reference to Terry Pratchet's "danger! Books!" In the library of the unseen university....
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 22, 2015 18:04:44 GMT
According to Tom himself, he has never read Pratchett.Some lawyering about languages: I think "entomo" should have corresponded to the genitive case and plural number. The sign says "Danger [an] Insect" rather than "Danger of Insects", which sounds like an awkward construction to me. I'm not a native speaker of either Ancient or Modern Greek, though, and principles of syntax can often be interpreted ambiguously. To compare, while I find it more sensible in English to say "beware of insects", I must also keep in mind to beware the Jabberwocky in the accusative case, if such a state existed for English nouns. Indeed, I should be wary in all cases. For reference, scrying Google Image Search for "kindynos" produces constructions with the genitive case.
|
|
|
Post by warrl on Apr 23, 2015 6:33:54 GMT
English generally only has two cases for nouns: the possessive case and the everything-else case. We get a bit more involved regarding pronouns, with at least five cases: subjective, objective, possessive, reflexive, and possessive predicate. Aside from that the language is really close to caseless.
(Examples, in the above order: I gave him my book myself, to deliver to a friend of mine.)
The accusative case, in languages where it exists, marks the direct object, so is a subset of English-pronouns' objective case.
|
|