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This article is from the Lefthanders FAQ, by Barry D. Benowitz b.benowitz@telesciences.com with numerous contributions by others.
01. What does being left-handed mean?
A very good question. For the purposes of this document, being
left-handed means having a preference for using your left hand for
a variety of tasks, including reaching, throwing, pointing,
catching. It also implies a preference for using your left foot
for tasks such as kicking, as well as the preferred foot with
which to begin walking, running and bicycling. However, there are
no hard and fast rules for determining which hand or foot the
Lefthander prefers to use for a particular task. Most will prefer to
use the left hand or foot for delicate work.
One may also have a dominant left eye, preferring to use the left
eye for telescopes, camera sights, and microscopes.
In general, being left-handed means having a dominant right side
of the brain.
M.K. Holder <mholder@indiana.edu> clarifies that this dominance
does not apply in the area of brain hemisphere specialization for
language abilities: According to a neurological study published by
Branch, Miller & Rasmussen in 1964 (Journal of Neurosurgery
21:399-405) indicates that perhaps half of all left-handers
have the same left-hemisphere specialization for language
abilities as do right-handers. See:
http://www.indiana.edu/~primate/refs1.html for more information.
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