American Sign Language
120 flashcards by MentisLibrary
Learn ASL in words: every sign broken down into handshape, movement, location and palm orientation, plus the facial grammar and sentence structure that make it a language rather than gestures.
- The five parts of every sign
- Every ASL sign is built from handshape, movement, location, palm orientation and facial expression. Change any one and you may change the word.
- Fingerspelling
- Spelling an English word letter by letter on one hand, used for names, brands and words with no established sign.
- Non-manual markers
- Facial expression, head position and mouth movement that carry grammar, not just mood.
- Yes or no question face
- The grammar that turns a statement into a question answerable with yes or no.
- WH question face
- The grammar for questions using who, what, where, when, why and how.
- Signing space
- The area in front of the body where signs are produced and where people and things are placed.
- The PERSON marker
- A pair of flat hands slid down the sides of the body that turns a verb into the person who does it.
- Classifiers
- Handshapes that stand in for a whole category of thing and then show how it moves or where it sits.
- Name sign
- A personal sign given to you by a Deaf person, used instead of fingerspelling your name every time.
- ASL is not signed English
- American Sign Language is a full language with its own grammar, not English rendered on the hands.
- Topic comment order
- A very common ASL sentence pattern: name the topic first, then say something about it.
- Eye contact
- Sustained eye contact is required grammar in ASL, not merely politeness.
- HELLO
- A friendly greeting, formed like a relaxed salute away from the head.
- GOODBYE
- A parting greeting, made as a simple wave.
- THANK YOU
- An expression of gratitude, sent out from the chin toward the person.
- PLEASE
- A polite request word, made as a circle over the heart.
- SORRY
- An apology, made as a circle over the heart with a closed hand.
- EXCUSE ME
- Used to get attention or to apologize lightly.
- YES
- Affirmation, made like a nodding head.
- NO
- Negation, made by snapping two fingers to the thumb.
- NICE TO MEET YOU
- A greeting for a first introduction, usually signed as NICE plus MEET plus YOU.
- WHO
- The question word for a person.
- WHAT
- The general question word.
- WHERE
- The question word for a place.
- WHEN
- The question word for a time.
- WHY
- The question word for a reason.
- HOW
- The question word for a method or a state.
- HOW MANY
- A request for a quantity.
- I or ME
- The first person pronoun.
- YOU
- The second person pronoun.