Cardinal Directions
When signing cardinal directions, move the sign as if you were looking at
a map. Thus, whether you are right or left handed, EAST will always be
on your right, and WEST will always be on you left.
You'll notice that for EAST and WEST the right and left-handed signers
move their sign in the same direction and have the same handshape, but
that their palms are oriented in opposite directions. Your palm
orientation for EAST and WEST should be such that you are in the most
natural and comfortable position for that movement. A right-handed
signer, for example, would orient the palm outward when signing EAST and
inward when signing WEST.
Direct Reference
If referring to a specific place, it is okay to point in the direction
that place would be located. For example, if you are in Austin and you
are trying to tell someone that something is in Dallas, you would point
in the direction of Dallas (relative to where you are currently standing).
On a smaller scale, if you are in the Tower on UT's campus and you are
refering to something in the Communications building, you would point
toward the Communications building as it stands in relation to where you
are.
Spatial Referencing
When identifying an object in relation to another object, a few steps
should be taken. First identify the point of reference. Depending on
where the second location is, you can use either your dominant or
non-dominant hand to identify the point of reference. For example, if
you were referencing Houston to San Antonio, you would first point to San
Antonio with your left hand (because San Antonio is west of Houston), and
then identify Houston with your right hand. If you were referencing El
Paso to San Antonio, you would first identify San Antonio with your right
hand (because it is east of El Paso), and then identify El Paso with your
left. Even though you may have to sign with your non-dominant hand, it is
important that the relationship between two locations or objects be
maintained in your sign space.
City Names
Almost every city will have a sign name that has been assigned to it by
the people who live there. If you are unfamiliar with the city or its sign,
fingerspell. If the person to whom you are talking knows the sign name,
they will more than likely tell you.