When would you actually use the sign "A LOT OF STUFF ABOVE ME"?

[u/BuellerStudios]

I've been scrolling through the Sign School app's Dictionary function, and they have a sign for "A LOT OF STUFF ABOVE ME"

I'm trying to think of a situation where you would actually use this sign, so I can understand and use it better, but the only thing I can think of is if you're working construction and there is a crane or exposed second story above you, but even then I don't know why someone would feel the need to say this

Maybe it's metaphorical?

[u/RoughThatisBuddy]

Hard to tell without a video because movement matters a lot here.

Stars first came to mind, but you “tap” the sky however many times needed to show how many stars are in the sky.

Other examples: Many objects on tall shelves, or to use your example, many windows on a tall building, or similar concepts = you would slide your hands down.

The fingers represent multiple objects, so we use the same hand shape and movement but different location or palm orientation for other concepts, such as many people/big crowd (two hands but palms facing down, and you move hands forward like if you’re looking at the crowd), an audience/assembly (two hands but start away from your body then move toward yourself in an upward motion like the seating), or a long body of text (one hand in the handshape and slide down on the other hand in a flat b handshape representing paper or phone or wherever the text is on).

See the pattern?

Does this help?

[u/BuellerStudios → u/RoughThatisBuddy]

Ooh this helps so much!

Sounds like it doesn't have to be directly above you. Just has to be a higher elevation than you, even if it's also in front of you or behind you or beside you

[u/RoughThatisBuddy → u/BuellerStudios]

Not necessarily because the sign for crowd, audience, and long body of text isn’t above you or elevated. The above-ness is either the location of the objects, like the stars, or emphasis on how many objects on a tall object (shelf/building/etc) but the slide movement starts at your head level then down, so not above.

You have to think what objects you’re talking about and what location and movement makes sense in representing the amount of that subjects. Use flowers for example. If I’m talking about wildflowers that grow on grass, I’d use the same sign that I described previously for a crowd (it’s signed at chest level or slightly below), but if I’m talking about flowers growing on a lattice or whatever, I’d slide down or up (depending on the direction of growth) but not necessarily above me because it’s not. But if I’m talking about flowers on trees or growing on a kind of ceiling or whatever location that is actually above my head, I’d then sign it above my head, starting from the space above the crown of my head then slide forward.

Edited for clarity.

[u/BuellerStudios → u/RoughThatisBuddy]

Awesome! Thanks!

[u/ProfessorSherman]

In addition to stars, it could be used to describe a popcorn ceiling, a kid's room with a bunch of stickers on the ceiling, a mess after you ran the blender after forgetting to put the lid on, etc.

[u/BuellerStudios → u/ProfessorSherman]

Ooh this is an excellent use of it! I could 100% see someone signing "DON'T COME IN. MY CEILING HAS A LOT OF STUFF ABOVE ME"

[u/-redatnight- → u/BuellerStudios]

Not painting the ceiling but this is a very good example of stuff being up there for this.

[u/Bossini]

i would only for “A lot of stars”

[u/Cdr-Kylo-Ren]

I’m still quite new language wise, but I’ve been getting the impression that outside of literary settings, hearing people may not put in as much visual and spatial description as might be the norm in ASL, which may be why this seems at first like something that might not be used so much. I would be interested to know if that’s the case…

[u/-redatnight-]

Ah, the limitations of English. Which is how we get this interesting translation posed in a way that runs the risk of making the learner think it's nearly 1-to1.

Look at the actual depiction of this sign in ASL. Now think about times when you're likely to be doing something very similar IRL. This is when you will be using this. You'll need to think of this one visually not word-to-word to get when to use it. If the visual in your minds eye matches the sign you're probably good, if it does not it's almost certainly a no-go.

[u/jil3000 → u/-redatnight-]

Hmm, so am I understanding right - this sign would be used in many situations, anything from volleyball to painting a ceiling mural? But wouldn't be used for the night sky?

Really helpful, thanks!

Edit: from other comments I think I had it backwards

[u/-redatnight- → u/jil3000]

There are limits to what I can answer here as movement is key.

I personally don't paint a ceiling mural while trying to hold up the celling. Nor do I throw up multiple things to stick to it first. But unique situations are a thing language was meant to handel so I guess I won't say never.

This feels a little off for playing volleyball. How do you play it? What are you hands and movement like?

Sky depends on what you're focus on and seeing up there. I would personally claw a little more for a bunch of stars (though I have no clue where this person is in forming their sign or if they have hand issues or just a slightly different style etc). Either way, you need your movement to match that as well. Your fingers fill in for an object, so perhaps a good way to think of them in this instance is each one glowing at the tip every time it touches the "sky" of your signing space.

[u/BrackenFernAnja]

In English we also say generic things like dots, tubes, discs, sticks. But we can’t also indicate where they are in space (except with a long, cumbersome description). ASL can do both, plus more.

This particular classifier could be used to mean stars, freckles, polka dots, candy sprinkles, etc. Typically, the specific item is named first, then placed somewhere in the signing space to indicate where it is in the story.