afternoon," or "I will go," etc. If he has returned and mentions the fact at supper that he went, he would use the same signs and it would naturally be interpreted as "I went to town this afternoon." Most likely, however, he would be even briefer than that, simply conveying the idea of town and going, and possibly make the sign for "finished" denoting that it had been done. In both cases he depends upon the time he is speaking to make the tense understood.
Other omissions are those of the prepositions and the articles. Also in asking a question the briefest sign, coupled with a look of inquiry, or a simple sign in reply to a question, may express the idea contained in a whole sentence. It is, for the most part, this tendency to eliminate, coupled with the imperfect use of the sign language by those with but scant knowledge of it, which causes so much confusion in the minds of young deaf children while they are acquiring English in the school room. And on account of this confusion it is held by many as undesirable for use in giving instruction therein; but it should not be unjustly blamed for the sins of our imperfect methods of educating the deaf. The haphazard, slipshod manner of using signs is to be strongly condemned and the English order should be followed as nearly as possible.
The mastery of the sign language consists not so much in the number of signs one may know as in the cleverness with which those he does know are used. Many different ideas can be expressed with a few signs coupled with natural gestures. Many ideas having no sign of their own may readily be communicated by signs to define them. Indeed, many words must be signed in this way, which somewhat resembles the German way of coining words. "Gentleman" is literally (in signs) "polite man;" "neighbor" is "live-near-er;" and "coal" is "black hard." With whatever signs, few or many, and whatever the manner of delivery, one should aim to convey his idea or thought as plainly and forcibly as possible to others, so that the latter may be able to reproduce it in as good English or other language as the narrator would. So the success of reproduction is determined rather by the mental training of habitual reception, thought, and expression than by the sign language in itself.
Signs undergo certain local changes, and new signs are coined to meet local requirements, so that some may be made
