ASL

"American Sign Language"

I love You Sign

Sign language is manual communication commonly used by people who are deaf. Sign language is not universal; people who are deaf from different countries speak different sign languages. There are more than 300 different sign languages in use around the world. They vary from nation to nation. Even in countries where the same language is spoken, sign language can have many different regional accents that bring subtle variations to people's use and understanding of signs. The gestures or symbols in sign language are organized in a linguistic way. Each individual gesture is called a sign. Each sign has three distinct parts: the handshape, the position of the hands, and the movement of the hands.
American Sign Language (ASL) is the most commonly used sign language in the United States. ASL is a language completely separate and distinct from English. It contains all the fundamental features of language, with its own rules for pronunciation, word formation, and word order.
Fingerspelling is part of ASL and is used to spell out English words. In the fingerspelled alphabet, each letter corresponds to a distinct handshape. Fingerspelling is often used for proper names or to indicate the English word for something.
Studying ASL promotes better awareness of and sensitivity to the deaf and hard of hearing community. As someone proficient in ASL, you will develop a strong appreciation for deaf culture, and you can promote understanding and acceptance of the language among others.

Check out these common signs & phrases!!

This page was created by Thioami Lakey