Angela Lee Taylor

Successfully communicating with others in American Sign Language (ASL) starts with learning to sign the manual alphabet, numbers 1 through 10, important expressions, and important one-word questions. And because good communication also involves manners, learning some basic do’s and don’ts of Deaf etiquette is also helpful.

American Sign Language (ASL), like any other language, allows you to communicate your feelings. You can sign about how that movie made you sad or how seeing your Deaf friend made you happy: Angry: Make the open-5 hand shape, palm toward your face, and pull your hand away from your face, scrunching up your fingers.

Raising a brood is quite a responsibility. Nothing is more impressive than teaching your children a second language like American Sign Language (ASL). You can use the signs shown here every day around the house. As you're hanging out with your Deaf chums, see which signs they use with their children and take note.

The workaday world is full of tasks, from stocking shelves to attending meetings. The American Sign Language (ASL) signs shown here make work a little more fun; you can carry on a private conversation with another signer during a boring meeting. BUSINESS: CLOSED DOWN (as in computer screen): DISCUSS: MEETING/CONFERENCE: PROMOTION: TRADING (stocks): WORK: Put these work-related signs into action in the following sentences:English: Are you going to the conference?

Signing about where you're from is a great way to converse with a new friend in American Sign Language. Because it can lead to other topics of conversation, it's a common icebreaker and will help you practice your Sign vocabulary.You can practice your fingerspelling — you may not know the sign of a particular location, or it may not have a sign — and expand your geographical knowledge.

Iconic or natural signs look like what they mean — the up and down motion of brushing your teeth that means toothbrush, for instance, or the right and left punches that mean boxing. Iconic signs always show action. Here are some examples:BoxingLooks like you’re “putting up your dukes.” Like the sign for boxing, many sports signs are iconic.

Remembering a few simple points can help you make American Sign Language (ASL) handshapes like a lifelong signer. Handshapes are hand formations that you use to sign each letter of the alphabet; this is also called the manual alphabet.Your manual dexterity is like a voice that has the ability to sing, and it requires practice.

Signing with your friends has never been easier. You have natural signs and gestures to make your point. This article gives you great ideas for some of the things you can do if you want to pick up American Sign Language a little more quickly. Volunteer at a Residential School for the Deaf One way to immerse yourself in the Deaf world is to volunteer at a residential school for the Deaf.

What you know about rhetorical questions in English is not the same as rhetorical questions in American Sign Language (ASL). In English, a rhetorical question is a question that does not require an answer. In ASL, a rhetorical question is asked and the person who asks the question gives the answer as well. A rhetorical question is a way of making a point by providing the information for the very question you ask.