horse - Put your thumb up by the side of your head with your palm facing foward, and your first two fingers up almost like ears, and then wiggle them forward like a horse's ear. sheep - Hold your left arm out in front of you across your body, and use your first two fingers of your other hand like scissors like you are cutting the wool off of the sheep. duck - Using your thumb and your first two fingers make them like a beak opening and closing, in front of your mouth. The two fingers can be spread out a little to show that it is a big duck's beak.
black - Hold up just your right pointer finger pointing to the left at your forehead, almost like a salute.
Pull your arm backwards like it is drawing a black line on your forehead.
white - With your open hand, put your fingertips on your chest, and then close your fingers together with your fingers still all straight, and pull your hand out away from your chest.
brown - Using the hand shape for the letter B, put your hand up next to your face with your palm facing outward and your fingertips pointed up. Move your hand downward, keeping the pointer finger by your face.
gray - With both hands open, arms out and your palms facing toward your chest and your thumbs pointed up, move your hands back and forth, alternating either hand. So when your right hand is going forward, your left hand is going backward.
green - Make the hand sign for the letter G, and twist your hand back and forth.
blue - Make the hand sign for the letter B, and twist your hand back and forth.
purple - Make the hand sign for the letter P, and twist your hand back and forth.
pink - Make the hand sign for the letter P, and put your tall finger up to your chin and pull it down, sort of like the sign for red, but using your tall finger.
red - Hold up your pointer finger in front of your chin below your mouth, and pull it down two times, almost like you are scratching your chin.
orange - Hold your hand out like a fist in front of and below your mouth, and squeeze it two times, almost like you are squeezing a bottle of orange juice into your mouth.
yellow - Hold up your hand in the finger spelling sign for "Y" and spin your hand two times.
Remember for 1-5 your palm was facing toward you.
For 6-9, hold your hand out in front of you, with your palm facing away from you.
Hold up all your fingers, but hold down one for each number:
6 - Pinky finger.
7 - Ring finger.
8 - Tall finger.
9 - Index finger.
For 10, close your fist, put your thumb up, and wiggle your hand around.
All of these are with your hand out in front of you, and your palm facing toward you.
Hold up these fingers for each number:
1 - Index finger.
2 - Index finger and tall finger.
3 - Index finger, tall finger and thumb. (not ring finger!)
4 - Index finger, tall finger, ring finger and pinky.
5 - All five fingers.
To say dog in ASL, first pat your thigh a few times with your hand, like you are calling your dog over.
Then hold your hand out with your fingers closed and your palm facing up.
Snap your fingers twice, but it doesn't matter if it makes sound.
These motions are like if you were calling your dog over.
To say cat in ASL, you make the hand shape for the letter F, which also looks like the sign for OK.
Hold it up by the side of your mouth, but with your pointer and thumb not closed yet.
Pinch your fingers together, and pull them to the side.
This motion is like if you were a cat and had whiskers, and you were pulling on your whiskers.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
