ASL - Do you speak ASL?

To ask if someone speaks ASL, you might first want to find out if they are deaf or if they are hearing.

The sign for "deaf" is to use your right hand, with your index finger pointing up, touch it to your temple, and then just below your mouth.

The sign for "hearing" is with your right hand, and your index finger pointing to the left, move it in front of your mouth almost like you are brushing your teeth.

The sign for "sign" is with two hands, using your fingers pointing left and right at each other, spin them around each other like a wheel going backwards.

Remember the sign for "you" is just pointing your finger at someone, and the sign for "I" or "me" is pointing at your chest.

ASL is very different than other languages because you would simply say "you deaf", "you hearing" or "you sign".
It's very important to use your face and body to also show what you are saying.
If you are asking a question, make a face like you are asking a question, or lean forward toward the person.
Also many people who are deaf are very good at reading lips, so you can still move your lips or even speak out loud if you are speaking to a deaf person.


To answer "yes" in ASL, you make a fist with your hand, and move it up and down, almost like a puppet's head nodding.

To answer "no" you put your first and second fingers with your thumb, almost like a puppet's mouth, and open and close them twice.

Here is a helpful video showing these signs:

Sign Language Basics : Sign Language: Deaf or Hearing? Do You Sign? - expertvillage




(from: wikipedia - american sign language)

Italian: Parli italiano?

German: Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

Spanish: ¿Hablas español?

French: parlez-vous français?

ASL - Please, You're Welcome

Remember that to say thank you in ASL, you move your hand away from your chin, toward the other person..

To say please in ASL you make the "5" handshape with your hand, then put it flat on your chest, and make a circle, like you are rubbing your chest.

There are a few different ways to say you're welcome.
The word welcome in ASL really means more like welcome to my home, so you don't want to sign that.
The easiest way is just to do the ASL sign for thank you again.
You can also do the sign for fine which is the "5" handshape, with your fingers pointed up, touch your thumb to your chest two times.
Another way is to do the sign for nothing, to say "it's nothing". For this sign, you put both your hands in the ASL "O" handshape, and shake them in front of you.

Here are what the 5 and O handshapes look like:

5 handshape:


O handshape:



(from: wiktionary - appendix:sign language handshapes)

Here are some helpful videos showing these signs:


Manners Signs - Kathy MacMillan


How to say "You're Welcome" in ASL? (Responses to "Thank You" in American Sign Language) - Meredith ASL




(from: wikipedia - american sign language)


Italian: per favore, prego

German: bitte, bitte schön

Spanish: Por favor, de nada

French: s'il vous plait, de rien

ASL - Very good thanks, and you?

We just learned how to say How are you? in ASL.

To respond, you might say "Very good thanks, and you?".

Remember we already learned the sign for good, moving the hand away from the chin.
The sign for good and thank you are almost exactly the same.
Usually the only difference might be that for "thank you" instead of moving your hand down, you move your hand out toward the other person and then down.
Or you can have your left base hand out for good, but not for thank you.

Then to say "and you", you would just do the same sign for "How are you?" that we learned.

Here is a helpful video showing these signs:


ASL Signs "How are you?" - teachmesignlanguage



(from: wikipedia - american sign language)


Italian: Molto bene, grazie.

German: Sehr gut, danke. Und Sie?

Spanish: Muy bien gracias. ¿Y tú?

French: Très bien, merci. Et vous?

ASL - How are you?

We just learned how to say Hello, Goodbye and Good Morning in ASL.

If you want to say How are you? in ASL, you start with how.

The hand shape you start with is like the "Bent B".



(from: wiktionary - appendix:sign language handshapes)

It's like the Bent B, but not exactly the same.
Keep your thumb up, bend your hand, point your fingers down, and your palm is facing down.
You do this with both hands, have them meet in front of you with the backs of your fingers facing each other.

Then rotate your hand at the wrist, bringing your fingers up toward the inside of your body until they are pointed up.

After that make the hand shape for "1" with your index finger, and point at the person you're talking to.

A lot of ASL also uses your face and your body, so it helps if you lean forward to show that you are interested in how someone is.

Here is a helpful video showing this sign, and also a way to say "What's up?" that you might say to your close friends:


ASL Signs "How are you?" - teachmesignlanguage



(from: wikipedia - american sign language)


Italian: Come va? Molto bene, grazie.

German: Wie geht es Ihnen? Sehr gut, danke.

Spanish: ¿Cómo estás? Muy bien, gracias.

French: Comment allez-vous? Très bien, merci.

ASL - Good Morning

We just learned a few ways to say hello and goodbye in ASL.

Let's learn how to say Good Morning, Good Afternoon, and Good Evening.

To start with, the word "Good" again uses the the "Open Hand" shape we learned about.


(from: wiktionary - appendix:sign language handshapes)

With your fingers pointing up and your palm toward your face, put your fingers on your chin, and then move your hand out forward and down.
That is the sign for Good.

Usually this sign is also done with your left hand out as your "base hand", and your right hand slaps down into your left hand.

For morning, put your left forearm up in front of you in a horizontal line.
Think of this like the horizon that the sun comes up from in the morning.

Take your left hand and put it on near the inside of your right elbow, and then bend your elbow inward, bringing your right hand up and toward your face.

Think of this like your left arm is the horizon, and your right hand is the sun coming up over the horizon.

For afternoon, use your left arm as the horizon again, but touch your left hand to the outside of your elbow by your forearm, and pointing your hand away from your face make a motion like the sun is going down a little.

For evening, your left arm is the horizon, and your right wrist goes onto the back of your left hand, and your hand goes over and down your left arm, almost like you are slam dunking a basketball.
That is the sun going down for evening.

So for each of these times of day, just put the sign for "Good" in front of them, and that is how you say Good Morning, Good Afternoon and Good Evening.

Here is a helpful video showing these signs:


GOOD MORNING, AFTERNOON, NIGHT | ASL - American Sign Language - ASL THAT



(from: wikipedia - american sign language)


Italian:
buongiorno, buon pomeriggio, buonasera, buona notte

German:
Guten Morgen, Guten Tag, Guten Abend, Gute Nacht

Spanish:
Buenos días, buenos tardes, buenas noches

French:
bonjour, bonsoir, bonne nuit

ASL - Hello and Goodbye

We've now learned a whole year of Italian words.
Molto bene!

Let's try another language now, how about ASL - American Sign Language?

This is a language created for people who can not hear, so you use your hands, to make most of the signs.

First let's learn how to say hello and goodbye.

To do this sign, you put your right hand in what is called the "Flat B" or "Flat Hand" shape. Then you put that hand up to your forehead pointed up with your index finger touching your forehead and your pinky facing out, and move your hand away from your face up and away, like a salute.

Here is the Flat B hand shape:

(from: wiktionary - appendix:sign language handshapes)

To say goodbye, you hold your right hand up in what is called the "Open B" or "Open Hand" on your right side with your elbow bent and your palm facing forward.

Bend your your fingers down to your palm two times, like a closed hand wave.

Here is the Open B hand shape:

(from: wiktionary - appendix:sign language handshapes)

Here is a helpful video showing these signs:


Greetings, Introducing Yourself and Small Talk in American Sign Language - EmmaSigns



(from: wikipedia - american sign language)

Italian:
Ciao, arrivederci

German:
Hallo, Auf Wiedersehen

Spanish:
Hola! Adiós!

French:
Bonjour! Au Revoir!