Learning ASL is not only about what is happening with the hands. Things happening with eyebrows, cheeks, shoulders, eye gaze … all can change the meaning of a message. These signals, sometimes called Non-Manual Markers (NMM) or Non-Manual Grammatical Signals (NMGS) are a critical feature of American Sign Language and can not be overlooked.

This brief overview for new signers will focus on one small, but critical, example: your eyebrows.

If asking a question that requires a Yes or No response, the eyebrows must be raised.

If asking a “Wh-word” question (who, what, where, when, why), the eyebrows must be lowered.

If you’re a fan of the ABC Family TV show “Switched At Birth”, you might have seen Daphne (Katie Leclerc) giving Wilke (Austin Butler) a lesson that included the need to raise his eyebrows in Episode 21.

The raising and lowering of eyebrows to indicate the type of question is just a teeny, tiny example of all the possible non-manual signals that are used by fluent ASL signers. Remember to watch a person’s face (not their hands) when communicating in ASL to get the full message.

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This lesson concludes our series on the parameters of ASL Sign Production: handshape, movement, location, palm orientation and non-manual signals. If you found it helpful, or have comments or questions, please leave a reply. We are considering making this info available in Power Point or Keynote for you to use in your classroom or with your homeschool group. If that is something you would like, please let us know – leave a reply or send an email to Cathi!

It is commonly understood in bilingual education that language can’t be separated from culture. For those of you new to learning American Sign Language, the idea that there is a culture to learn about might be new to you too. The community of Deaf individuals that use ASL as their primary language has strong cultural and linguistic bonds. Spending time reading, watching and understanding the values of Deaf culture will greatly enhance your ASL learning.

Matt stopped by the Visualize ASL booth at the American Society for Deaf Children Conference

A fun introduction to Deaf Culture and the Deaf experience can be seen in the terrific comics produced by Matt Daigle. I had the great good fortune of meeting and working with Matt during the early stages of developing Visualize ASL. I’m thrilled that his artwork and comics are gaining world wide attention.

Charlie Swinbourne, a Deaf journalist based in London published an insightful interview with Matt. You can also read more about him at this comic site. And of course, you should check out Matt’s website and his Facebook page.

Lucky to have an original sketch by That Deaf Guy!!

Don’t forget to go look for us – Visualize ASL – while you’re on Facebook too!

The fourth parameter in our lesson on sign production is ‘Palm Orientation’. The direction the palm of your hand is facing can impact the meaning of the sign.

In the examples above, the difference between the signs for MORNING and AFTERNOON is palm orientation. You can see that the handshape is the same in both examples, the movement is (generally) the same and the location for both is in front of the body. The same is true of the signs for SERVE and WALK. The handshape, movement and location are the same. The difference is in the palm orientation.

If you’re not familiar with these signs, you can watch the ASL version above (see if you can catch the signs in context!), or go to our Facebook page and see a short video clip of each sign or buy our Volume 1: Basic Vocabulary and Fingerspelling CD and start practicing!

Remember we’ve been talking about American Sign Language production of signs.

• Handshape – specific shapes of the hand
• Movement – the specific handshape moves in a specific way
• Location – the specific handshape, that moves in a specific way, is located in a specific place on the body or in space
• Palm orientation – all the previous features must also include having the palm facing in a specific direction
• Non-manual markers – this a feature that doesn’t involve your hands at all but happens on your face or with your eyebrows or head.

Last time we looked at ‘Location’ and today we’ll be looking at ‘Movement’. (Somehow I posted these two out of order, but no matter, we will forge ahead!) The short explanation is that signs can move in different ways and that movement can change the meaning of the sign.

Look at the examples above for SCHOOL and PAPER. The handshape is the same; a ‘B’ handshape with the thumb extended. The movement for SCHOOL is a short up and down movement, twice. For PAPER, the dominant hand slides to the back twice.

For CHURCH, the movement is the same up and down movement as the sign for SCHOOL; the difference is the handshape. (Well, that and the fact that the ‘base’ hand or non-dominant hand is palm up for one and palm down for another, but that’s another blog for another day!!) For now, let us focus only on the MOVEMENT. For CHOCOLATE the handshape is the same ‘C’ handshape, but it moves in a circular motion with the thumb keeping contact with the base hand.

Do these short descriptions of the features of sign production help you with your ASL learning? I hope so! If you have any questions, or would like to suggest a topic to cover, leave us a note!

The specific ASL feature for today is LOCATION. If you just joined us, you may want to start with the post “Focus on Sign Production“.

There are 20 major contact points on the body (Liddell & Johnson, 2000):

• back of head
• top of head
• forehead – see the example below for DAD
• side of forehead
• nose
• cheek
• ear
• mouth – see the example below for BIRD
• lip
• jaw
• chin – see the example below for MOM
• neck
• shoulder
• sternum
• chest
• trunk
• upper arm
• forearm
• adbomen
• leg

There are also locations in space that don’t contact the body – see the example below for TWENTY.

Notice the signs for MOM and DAD have the same handshape. They both move in the same way. The only difference is the location of the sign, either on the forehead or at the chin. The same is true for the signs for BIRD and TWENTY. The only difference between the two is the location where they are signed.

Think of all the vocabulary you know. See how many you can come up with for each of the locations listed. If you need help with vocabulary practice, order our Volume 1 CD.

Who Are You?

I’m imagining that those of you who are reading this are teaching yourself, or maybe teaching your children or a class of hearing children. If you’re using this information in another way, please let me know! I’d love to hear from you!

Last time we had a brief discussion about handshapes as an element of ASL sign production and looked at a few signs using the “5” handshape. Two of my favorite resources for focusing on handshapes are the Have You Ever Seen…?? DVD and book, and Clayton Valli’s ASL Poetry DVD.

Have You Ever Seen…. ?? An American Sign Language (ASL) Handshape DVD/Book written by Adonia K. Smith and E. Lynn Jacobowitz. Illustrated by Tamara Davidson.

This is truly a must-have book for anyone learning American Sign Language. The sweet illustrations show playful use of handshapes and the settings all incorporate information about the Deaf community and Deaf Culture. The DVD is signed by ASL native signers of all ages.

Be sure to watch the ASL version of this blog (posted above) to see Lynn Jacobowitz showing a clip from the DVD. Then go to the ASL Rose website for more information.

ASL Poetry, Selected Works of Clayton Valli

The second DVD that I highly recommend is ASL Poetry, Selected Works of Clayton Valli. One of the poems is a very cute handshape story called “Cow and Rooster” signed by Annalee Laird.

The DVD includes an introduction by Dr. Lon Kuntze discussing the hidden meanings in the poems. Each poem also has a slow motion version showing the poetic features, making  the material accessible to everyone. Like all good poetry, each poem can be watched over and over again, providing a deeper understanding of the content and the creative elements of ASL. This DVD is available on a variety of sites on the internet. You might try Harris Communications, who also carries our Visualize ASL products.

If you’re learning ASL and have these in your library, let us know what you think of them! Have other resources to share?

Graphics from Visualize ASL Volume 1 CD

Do you know the ASL signs for the concepts in the pictures?

Do you know what the signs have in common?

Our discussion last time looked at how signs are produced. Today, we’ll focus on the part of the sign called ‘Handshape’. The element in common in the signs for the pictures above is handshape. They all use the handshape commonly referred to as the “5” handshape.

Visualize ASL model Gerardo Di Pietro

“5” is one of the seven most commonly used handshapes. The other six are “B”, “A”, “S”, “C”, “O”, and “1”.

Handshapes drawn by Visualize ASL graphic design artist Patrick Fischer

Knowing which handshape to use when formulating a sign is as important as knowing which sound to use to make a spoken word. And the wrong handshape can lead to the wrong concept!

Handshapes are also the foundation of creative use of American Sign Language. Handshape Stories require specific signs to follow specific rules according to the type of story. The four basic kinds of handshape stories are: ABC stories, number stories, one-handshape stories and spelled-word stories.

Join us next time for a review of some terrific resources that focus on ASL handshapes!

In the meantime, a fun game for new ASL learners to play with a partner or a group is to challenge each other to come up with the most signs that use a single handshape. Time yourself and see who can remember the most. Do you have other handshape game ideas? Share them with us here!

For those of you teaching yourself American Sign Language, or learning from a book, or using a book as reference for teaching a class of youngsters, here is some basic information about sign formation.

As you know, spoken language is understood to be a sequence of sounds. These sounds are produced with the lips, tongue, back of the throat, etc, and we recognize and produce different words by knowing where to place our lips or teeth (place of articulation) and the action to make the sound we want (manner of articulation). A couple of examples of places of articulation include:

• bilabial – words that are made with both lips (bat, mat)
• labiodental – words that are made with the lower lip and the teeth (fat, vat)
• interdental – words that are made with the tongue between the teeth (this, that)

Manner of articulation is what else needs to happen to make a sound. To make the B sound for the word ‘bat’ we make a kind of pop with our lips, but without puffing out air. If we puff out air, the B sound becomes a P sound. The M sound is also with both lips, but the air goes thru our nose.

For hearing individuals whose first language is English, the difference in these sounds is easily recognized. The purpose of this writing tho, is not a lesson in speech therapy or linguistics, but rather a way to demonstrate how signs in ASL are produced and to remind the new learner that although the sound for P differs only slightly in its production from B, the words they make are entirely different.

The production of American Sign Language signs includes:

• Handshape – specific shapes of the hand
• Movement – the specific handshape moves in a specific way
• Location – the specific handshape, that moves in a specific way, is located in a specific place on the body or in space
• Palm orientation – all the previous features must also include having the palm facing in a specific direction
• Non-manual markers – this a feature that doesn’t involve your hands at all but happens on your face or with your eyebrows or head.

As you watch people signing, or practice making signs, try to notice each of the features. What handshapes are being used? What is the movement, where is the location?

Then check back here in a week or two and we will look at each of these features in more detail. In the meantime, if you find this information helpful or you have questions about it, let me know by writing a comment or your question.

So you’ve been taking classes or practicing from a book or videos and you’re wondering how to get some ‘real’ practice.

Unlike learning other world languages where you might be able to go to a country where the language is spoken, or a neighborhood community to interact with users of the language you’re studying, learning ASL and finding appropriate opportunities for hanging out with Deaf people can be challenging.

A terrific way to be immersed in the Deaf world for a day is to attend a Deaf Expo. There are thousands of Deaf adults and children socializing everywhere, there are vendors of ASL products and Deaf organizations that would love to converse with you and encourage your ASL learning.

There are often performances, with storytelling and games and drawings ….. all a feast for your eyes and wonderful for observing not only how the language is being used, but how social interactions happen.

Two of the major Expos that I know of are DeafNation Expo and Mata Expo. Check out their websites and don’t miss the chance to go if one is being held in your area. Also check out our calendar to see which of the DeafNation events we’ll be at and come and say hi to me!

Have you been to an Expo? Have suggestions for new learners planning on going? Share your questions and your experiences here with us.

Visualize ASL is so fortunate to have Gerardo as our model on our Volume 1 CD. His enthusiasm, energy and love of ASL are so evident in everything he does. Volume 1 is Basic Vocabulary, which somewhat limits Gerardo’s expressive use of the language, (I think it is like trying to have Robin Williams read words from a dictionary), but even with this limitation, Gerardo shines.

Gerardo is a native of Toronto, Canada where his parents moved from their home in Italy. He graduated with a B.S. in Physical Education from Gallaudet University. As an ASL consultant, he provides coaching for theatrical interpreters, ASL storytelling and private tutoring. Through his powerfully expressive hands, 3-D motions, gestures, facial expressions, body language and mastery of ASL, Gerardo is able to capture and deliver fantastic narratives that are sure to delight and inspire all ages, whether deaf or hearing.

Currently, he resides in Seattle, WA where he enjoys spending quality time with his wife Tamara, daughter Mirella and son Massimo. Gerardo is a committed advocate for all children and gives generously of his time for reading programs, presentations and deaf teen leadership camp. He can also be found out on the course, playing disc golf with his friends from the Washington Deaf Disc Golf Association.