Yes! And they work a lot like the puns in spoken languages - you got two things that are conveyed in a similar way, but have a different meaning, so you sub one into another creating an unexpected result.
For example, in Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) I’ve seen once a person starting with a “I don’t give a fuck” [signs: today I don’t-care], and then immediately “distorting” the don’t-care into a “poor thing”/“I feel sorry” - because even if the gesture is different, the hand configuration is the exact same, using the ring finger at 90° from the palm. (The other person was clearly amused.)
That’s a pun, in the exact same way as starting with a spoken word, pausing, and then completing it in a way that conveys something else.
Impound4017@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
Yes! My favorite example is the sign for pasteurized milk, which is just the sign for milk, but moved ‘past your eyes’.
youtube.com/watch?v=KGprfOaUxsA
slazer2au@lemmy.world 8 months ago
That is amazing.
Adam Hills had a couple comedy specials where he has an interpreter and some of the jokes get 2 rounds of laughter as you see how it gets signed.
someguy3@lemmy.ca 8 months ago
youtu.be/ZZ_BtZ-5O60?si=UFgEESlgHglVvO4l&t=368
Siegfried@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Ehm… I adjusted the volume to hear the joke. I know I’m normally an idiot, but I think I’d be needing some sleep.
Impound4017@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
We’ve all been there