The flick is a slight, but perceptible, forward and back movement that differentiates sucessive occurences of the same handshape at the side placement e.g., doves) or to emphasize a handshape by over-articulation.
When the same handshape occurs more than once in succession at the side placement, a flick is used so that each hadnshape can be seen by the receiver.
When cueing words like loves, craft, and horse, the same handshape occurs more than once at the side. A flick is produced between the two occurrences of that handshape to make sure that both are clear to the receiver.
In the previous examples, an asterisk (*) has been used in the cue notation to represent where a flick would be present. In some cases an apostrophe (') is used. DailyCues used an asterish becuase stress marks in our dictioary could be easily confued with apostrophes.
Which handshapes sometimes require a flick? That's a trick question. Any one of the eight handshapes in the American Cued Speech system may need a flick depending on their context. Additionally, while previous examples of the flick occured at the end of words, that is not always the case.
We may need to flick between handshapes at the beginning of words, as in the name Schwartz. Depending on your pronunciation of the following vowel, you may need to flick. Even though a side movement follows, the second occurrence of handshape 6 would not be distinguished without a flick. However, if you cue Schwartz with the chin placement, you do not need to flick because the hand moves away from the side placement.
A flick can also occur in the middle of a word or at word boundaries. Examine the following examples:
Read the following sentence. How might this appear to a deaf cue reader if the flick were omitted?
His crimes are infamous.
If the flick (which occurs between the words his and crimes) is not used, the sentence might be confused as follows:
His rhymes are infamous.
Want to see how well you can spot the flick? Try this flick quiz.
HELPFUL HINT: If you have a wandering side placement, you may not feel the need to flick. Working on a more consistent side placement may help you in your flick practice!
The following are instances when a flick is not necessary.
Flicks make cue each occurence of a handshape is seen clearly. In words like coke, pop, Mom, and knob, there is no need to flick because a vowel occurs between the two occurrences of the same handshape. Each handhsape is clearly visiable, the first is established at the side and by returning to the side the final consonant is established. A flicj is needed when the same handshape must occur at the side in immediate succession. If a vowel (or another handshape) occurs between the like-handshapes, you do not need to flick.
Likewise, a flick may disappear in connected discourse. The word {{lift|lɪˈftlift}} would contain a flick, but the words lift it would not if they are spoken without a pause. In this example the final /ttttttttt/ in lift moves away from the side placement to connect to the next word, it.
camouflaged, guidepost
doves, drives, grooves, halves, involves, knives, leaves, loves, moves, olives, saves, serves, themselves, thieves, truths
disrupted, enforced, hoarse, horse
cornbread, rainbow, unknown
comfortable, coughed, craft, harmful, left, rooftop, scuffed, soft, stuffed, laughed, sloughed