Signs for LIPREAD

Meaning: (of a deaf person) understand speech from observing a speaker's lip movements.

Pronunciation/articulation: Dominant "V" handshape, palm down, facing the mouth, swinging twice in the leftward direction (right-handed).

Related signs: LISTEN.

Deaf Culture and tidbits

Did you know that...?

An average skilled lipreader might be able to lipread up to 30-35% with a guesswork for the rest of it. More on lipreading.

Quotes

"By the way, learning to read lips is grossly offensive. It's like asking an amputee to wiggle their toes." -- Joshua McKenzie (a comment on some blog)

Comeback / Resistance to "the Center vs the Margin/Other"

Hearing: "Can you lipread?"
Deaf: "No, can you handread?"
Hearing (nervously chuckling): No.

Darndest cute kids

Deaf kids say the darndest things, too. "My deaf child and I were in a swimming pool and her cat was walking around the edge of the pool meowing at her. I told her he was meowing and she told me 'I know, I can read his lips.'" -- Peggy Mills, USA. Email, February 27, 2000.

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