MALLERY. | CONVENTIONAL OR INSTINCTIVE? 341 
arrangement of the hair, but such a represented arrangement of hair 
familiar to the gesturer as had never been seen by the person addressed 
would not seem “natural” to the latter. It would be classed as arbi- 
trary, and could not be understood without context or explanation, 
indeed without translation such as is required from foreign oral speech. 
Signs most naturally, that is, appropriately, expressing a conception of 
the thing signified, are first adopted and afterwards modified by circum- 
stances of environment, so as to appear, without full understanding, 
conventional and arbitrary, yet they are as truly “natural” as the signs for 
hearing, seeing, eating, and drinking, which continue all over the world 
as they were first formed because there is no change in those operations. 
CLASSES OF DIVERSITIES IN SIGNS. 
While there is not sufficient evidence that any exhibition of sign 
language in any tribe is a dialect derived or corrupted from an ascer- 
tained language in any other tribe, it still is convenient to consider the 
different forms appearing in different tribes as several dialects (in the 
usual mode of using that term) of a common language. Every sign 
talker necessarily has, to some extent, a dialect of his own. No one 
can use sign language without original invention and without modifica- 
tion of the inventions of others; and all such new inventions and modifi- 
cations have a tendency to spread and influence the production of other 
variations. The diversities thus occasioned are more distinct than that 
mere individuality of style or expression which may be likened to the 
differing chirography of men who write, although such individual char- 
acteristics also constitute an important element of confusion to the 
inexperienced observer. In differing handwriting there is always an 
attempt or desire to represent an alphabet which is essentially deter- 
minate, but no such fixedness or limited condition of form restricts 
gesture speech. 
Those variations and diversities of form and connected significance 
specially calling for notice may be: Ist. In the nature of synonyms. 
2d. Substantially the same form with such different signification as not 
to be synonymous. 3d. Difference in significance produced by such 
slight variation in form as to be, to a careless observer, symmorphic. 
SYNONYMS. 
In this division are placed signs of differing forms which are used in 
senses so nearly the same as to have only a slight shade of distinction, 
or sometimes to be practically interchangeable. The comprehensive 
and metaphorical character of signs renders more of them interchange- 
able than is the case with words; still, like words, some signs with 
essential resemblance of meaning have partial and subordinate differ- 
ences made by etymology or usage. Doubtless signs are purposely 
selected as delineating the most striking outlines of an object, or the 
most characteristic features of an action; but different individuals, and 
