American Sign Language/Vocabulary 1

ME

With a 1-hand, point at the middle of your chest, making contact once.

YOU, HIM, HER

Point towards the person's chest with a 1-hand.

ASL

Fingerspell ASL

AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE

AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE

With intertwined 5-hands with palms vertical and at right angles (in the wall plane), complete one or two circles with your hands together.

With 1-hands, draw circles in the wall plane perpendicular to your shoulders. This version fills your signing space. Alternatively, spin your forefingers around each other in a smaller motion. Either one is in the center of your signing space.

With L-hands, contact the thumbs in the centre of your signing space with palms facing down, then wiggle them outwards simultaneously.

BOY

As if grasping your ball cap in a flattened C-hand twice. Open and close your hand twice with the palm facing across your forehead.

GIRL

With a A-hand, your thumb traces your jawbone from near your ear to your chin.

MOTHER

With a 5-hand, tap your thumb to the outside of your chin twice.

FATHER

With a 5-hand, tap your thumb to the outside of your forehead.

DON'T KNOW

With a palm-hand, touch the side of your forehead with the fingertips, then turn the hand out and away from your face.

YES

With a S-hand, "nod" your hand up and down a few times in front of your chest, facing the viewer.

NO

Using a "pinch"-hand, open and close twice with your palm facing the viewer.

For a more forceful version, open and close your fingers only once, faster with a hand motion forwards towards the subject of your command.

DEAF

With the 1-hand, touch your chin at the ear, then at the front of your chin. This version is used for culturally-deaf individuals.

An alternative sign, used for CLINICALLY DEAF (meaning literally EAR CLOSED) uses a 1-hand to point to your ear, then two palm-hands to signify closing a door. Bring the hands together like two shutters in front of that ear.

NAME

Using two H-hands, tap the second joint of the middle fingers together on top of one another.

SORRY

With a loose A-hand, rub the centre of your chest and look sorry.

PLEASE

With a loose palm-hand, rub the centre of your chest.

FINGERSPELL

Starting with a 5-hand, mime fingerspelling by fluttering your fingers in alternation while moving your hand about the fingerspelling part of your signing space.