A Mute’s Glossary-
Should you ever find yourself mute here are some helpful ideas of how to get your message across:
I: point at I
Me: point at middle of chest
You: point at middle of chest of intended
He/Her: point vigorously in no particular direction to indicate it is not ‘me’ or ‘you’
Love/ Heart burn: point at heart
Think/ Dream/ Wonder: point at head
Any sort of past tense: get the person to understand the present tense of the word then point to the left to indicate ‘ed’
Hungry/ Bloated/ Constipated/ Cramping: point at tummy and make a pathetic face
Bathroom: tap bladder
Surprise/ Shock/ Heart Attack/ I’m being held at gun point: open eyes large and hold up jazz hands next to head
Tired/ bored/ lazy/ This is Lame: Lay head to one side with hands as pillows
This sucks/ I’m going to vomit: stick finger in mouth
‘I lost my voice’: point at throat repeatedly and mouth the words (editor’s note: some people who lacka brain might mistake this for ‘I am deaf and cannot hear you so talk really loudly or not at all and it will be good’)
Money/ How much does it cost?/ That was expensive/ How much do I owe?: hold first and second fingers to thumb and move thumb up and down other fingers.
‘I am mad’: Make eyes big and move your neck around
Hear/ Listen: Pull on ear several times in a row
Any physical activity: mime it in an over exaggerated manner. You’ll be fine.
To get attention: Make loud kissing or smacking sounds or bang you open hand on a table or couch or clap your hands together loudly.
