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Here We Go

Overview

The dialog includes some common ASL phrases used in greetings and everyday conversations along with some basic ASL sentence structures and popular conversational signs. These are great sign language phrases for beginners to look at as they begin to become familiar with ASL.  The importance of facial clues in ASL grammar is described and techniques for asking questions are introduced. Several insights into some common activities associated with the lives of Deaf people are presented.

To begin, read the English dialog and become comfortable with it. Then proceed to the next section to see the ASL version of the same dialog and learn the signs used to sign the dialog.

Sally:Hello. What's up?

Fred:Nothing. I'm bored.

Sally:Oh, poor you. Hey, guess what!

Fred:What?

Sally:I'm learning ASL.

Fred:That's cool! Can I learn ASL with you?

Sally:Sure.

Learning the Signs

A translation of the dialog to ASL is shown below. Sometimes, there is only one way that something can be translated from English to ASL. But often, there can be several ways for an English sentence to be translated to ASL. The translations in each of these lessons are common ones and you are likely to encounter them in everyday ASL conversations. As you become fluent in ASL, you will be able to sign sentences in many different ways. An explanation of the translation is shown in the section "Creating Sentences."

Click the words in the ASL translation below to view the signs on the right. Some signs have more than one variation. When you view a sign, variations are listed below the sign. Click on the variations to view it. When you encounter a sign that you do not know, practice the sign several times before continuing.

Sally:Hello. What's up?

hello. what's-up?

Fred:Nothing. I'm bored.

nothing. i bored.

Sally:Oh, poor you. Hey, guess what!

pity-you. guess what!

Fred:What?

what?

Sally:I'm learning ASL.

i learn asl.

Fred:That's cool! Can I learn ASL with you?

cool! i learn asl with you?

Sally:Sure.

sure.

HELLO

204.mp4

Hints: 
A natural gesture for hello.
Synonyms: 
HI

WHAT'S-UP

521.mp4

Hints: 
The middle finger of both open hands touches the chest then both hands flip up and away from the chest.
Synonyms: 
WHAT'S-HAPPENING

320.mp4

NOTHING

Hints: 
The tip of the thumbs of the O-handshapes touch, then the hands are moved to the side while opening.

I

231.mp4

Hints: 
You simply point to yourself.
Synonyms: 
ME

BORED

054.mp4

Hints: 
The index finger touches the side of the nose and twists. This action represents someone picking their nose when they are bored.
Synonyms: 
BORING

PITY-YOU

350.mp4

Hints: 
The hands are open with the middle finger pointing forward. The hands are repeatedly moved in a forward circle. This sign can be made with one hand as Sally did in the dialog or with two hands as shown here. The sign PITY-you is made in the same manner as PITY; that is, the fingertips are pointing away from the signer and towards the person the signer is talking to.
Synonyms: 
EMPATHY
MERCY
PITFUL
PITY
POOR-THING
POOR-YOU
SYMPATHY

GUESS

189.mp4

Hints: 
One hand makes a grasping motion across the forehead.
Synonyms: 
ASSUME
ESTIMATE

520.mp4

WHAT

Hints: 
The tip of the index finger of one hand strikes down across the palm of the other hand.

LEARN

259.mp4

Hints: 
The movement of the hand shows knowledge being taken from a book and placed in the brain
Synonyms: 
ACQUIRE
LEARNING

ASL

023.mp4

Hints: 
The letters A, S, and L are fingerspelled.
Synonyms: 
AMERICAN-SIGN-LANGUAGE

COOL

027.mp4

Hints: 
Pinch the index finger and thumb together, place to the side of the mouth, then twist.
Synonyms: 
AWESOME
NEAT
THAT'S-COOL
THAT'S-NEAT

840.mp4

WITH

Hints: 
Bring both A-handshapes together.

547.mp4

YOU

Hints: 
The index finger points straight ahead. This is a natural gesture for indicating a person.

SURE

493.mp4

Hints: 
The forefinger is upright and moves straight forward from the mouth.
Synonyms: 
ACTUAL
ACTUALLY
CERTAIN
CERTAINLY
REAL
REALLY
SURELY
TRUE
TRULY
VERY
VIRTUAL

Creating Sentences

Click each line in the ASL translation below to see it signed on the right and to learn more about the translation. Pay close attention to the facial clues that you should use when signing the sentences. Before moving on to the next sentence, practice signing the sentence at least 10 times or until you are comfortable signing it.

Sally:Hello. What's up?

HELLO. WHAT'S-UP?

Fred:Nothing. I'm bored.

NOTHING. I BORED.

Sally:Oh, poor you. Hey, guess what!

PITY-YOU. GUESS WHAT!

Fred:What?

WHAT?

Sally:I'm learning ASL.

I LEARN ASL.

Fred:That's cool! Can I learn ASL with you?

COOL! I LEARN ASL WITH YOU?

Sally:Sure.

SURE.

c1l1line1.mp4

English: 
Hello. What's up?
About: 

When you translate from English to ASL, you are translating the meaning. Sometimes this might result in one sign being used for several English words. Other times, it will look like you are translating one sign for one word. We have both examples in this opening dialog. There is one sign for the word "Hello" but there is also just one sign for the phrase "What's up?" which is in fact three English words (What is up?).

"What's up?" is a question that is seeking information. Think of what facial clues you would use. For "What's up?" you (1) squeeze your eyebrows together, and (2) tilt your head forward.

Hints: 

When asking this type of question, you accompany your signing with the following facial clues: (1) squeeze your eyebrows together, and (2) tilt your head forward.

ASL: 
HELLO. WHAT'S-UP?

c1l1line2.mp4

English: 
Nothing. I'm bored.
About: 

ASL does not have signs for the verb to-be (i.e., ASL does not have a sign for the words is, are, am, and be). Instead, their meaning is incorporated into the context and structure of the sentence.

Hints: 

Fred shakes his head when signing NOTHING. This is a common thing to do when making a negative sign (e.g., NO, NEVER, DON'T-KNOW). Accompany your signing of BORED with a "bored" expression on your face.

ASL: 
NOTHING. I BORED.

c1l1line3.mp4

English: 
Oh, poor you. Hey, guess what!
About: 

The expression "Oh" is shown in the facial expression that a person makes. The same can be said of "Hey." Although there is no sign for "Hey" there are facial expressions and gestures that will be correctly translated as "Hey." You will acquire these expressions and know what gestures to use as you become more familiar with ASL.

Note that the sign PITY or PITY-you can be made with one hand or two hands. The sign PITY-you is called a directional verb sign. The movement of the sign is away from Sally and towards FredÑSally is feeling sorry for Fred. Now, if Sally were to turn her hands around and move the sign from Fred towards herself, she would be saying "You are feeling sorry for me." As you go through each course you will learn much more about directional verb signs.

Hints: 

Notice Sally's facial expressions when she signs PITY-you and GUESS WHAT! Each expression is appropriate for the statement she is signing. She has a look of sympathy when she signs PITY-you. But when she signs GUESS WHAT! she is clearly excited.

ASL: 
PITY-YOU. GUESS WHAT!

c1l1line4.mp4

English: 
What?
About: 

This is a word to word translation.

What facial expressions would you use with the sign WHAT? Review facial clues for asking questions.

Hints: 

Fred's facial clues clearly indicate that a question is being asked. He squeezes his eyebrows together and tilts his head forward.

ASL: 
WHAT?

c1l1line5.mp4

English: 
I'm learning ASL.
About: 

ASL does not have signs for word endings (affixes) such as -ing, -ment, -ness, and -tion. In this sentence, some signers might repeat the sign LEARN to indicate the progressive tense.

A simple sentence in English can usually be translated in the same word order in ASL.

Hints: 

Notice the smooth transition from one sign to the next.

ASL: 
I LEARN ASL.

c1l1line6.mp4

English: 
That's cool! Can I learn ASL with you?
About: 

The expression "That's cool!" is translated with just one sign. When Fred asks "Can I learn ASL with you?" he is asking a yes/no question. The facial clues for yes/no questions is different than that for questions that are seeking information. Without the correct facial clues, the signed sentence could mean, "I am learning ASL with you."

Hints: 

Fred's facial clues for "That's cool" shows that he thinks what Sally had said is really neat. Fred raises his eyebrows and tilts his head forward when signing this yes/no question.

ASL: 
COOL! I LEARN ASL WITH YOU?

c1l1line7.mp4

English: 
Sure.
About: 

When signing SURE, your facial expression means a lot. If you really mean it then you have to show it with your facial expression.

Hints: 

Sally's facial expression and body movement forward shows that she is thrilled that Fred will learn ASL with her.

ASL: 
SURE.

The Complete Dialog

Now that you have learned the translation from English to ASL, expanded your sign vocabulary, and learned how the signs flow together to form sentences, let's see how the entire dialog may look. Remember, when you are signing with someone, always maintain eye contact.

Watch the video below to see the dialog signed. While you watch, try to intrepet the signs. If you would like to see the text of the dialog, you may reveal the text script of the dialog.

Read the dialog below and watch the video to see the dialog signed, you may hide the text script of the dialog.

Sally:Hello. What's up?

HELLO. WHAT'S-UP?

Fred:Nothing. I'm bored.

NOTHING. I BORED.

Sally:Oh, poor you. Hey, guess what!

PITY-YOU. GUESS WHAT!

Fred:What?

WHAT?

Sally:I'm learning ASL.

I LEARN ASL.

Fred:That's cool! Can I learn ASL with you?

COOL! I LEARN ASL WITH YOU?

Sally:Sure.

SURE.

c1l1.mp4

Additional Signs

In this section you will learn several new signs that can be used in conjunction with the sentence-creating techniques and other signs you learned in this lesson to further expand your ASL fluency.

Click the words to learn the individual signs. When you encounter a sign that you do not know, practice the sign several times before continuing.

Sally:Hello. What's up?

Related Sign(s):

good-bye

Fred:Nothing. I'm bored.

Substitution(s) for BORED:

TIRED

LAZY

Sally:Oh, poor you. Hey, guess what!

Substitution(s) for PITY-YOU:

TOO-BAD

Fred:What?

Sally:I'm learning ASL.

Substitution(s) for ASL:

ENGLISH

FRENCH

Fred:That's cool! Can I learn ASL with you?

Substitution(s) for WITH:

WITHOUT

Sally:Sure.

Related Sign(s):

OK

GOOD-BYE

064.mp4

Hints: 
This is variation of the sign 'GOOD-BYE.' It is a common gesture used by many people.
Synonyms: 
BYE
FAREWELL

TIRED

481.mp4

Hints: 
The hands are placed on the chest and are moved downward along with the shoulders drooping to represent that someone does not have the strength to go on.
Synonyms: 
DRAINED
FATIGUE
WEARY 2
WIPED-OUT 2
WORN-OUT

258.mp4

LAZY

Hints: 
The L-handshape is tapped against the upper side of the chest.

487.mp4

TOO-BAD

Hints: 
The T-handshape is held at chest level with the palm facing across the body. The hand is then moved out slightly with the T-handshape changing to a B-handshape. In its final position, the fingertips of the B-handshape should be pointing straight ahead. This is a directional verb sign. The signer typically points the sign at whomever he or she is saying 'too bad' to.

ENGLISH

138.mp4

Hints: 
One hand grabs the back of the other hand and pulls it towards the body.
Synonyms: 
BRITAIN
BRITISH
ENGLAND

986.mp4

FRENCH

Hints: 
The F-handshape starts to the side of the face. The hand twists back as it is pulled to the side.

841.mp4

WITHOUT

Hints: 
The sign WITH is made followed by the hands moving apart and the fingers spreading out.

OK

329.mp4

Hints: 
The letters O and K are fingerspelled.
Synonyms: 
OKAY

Practice Activity

Practice makes perfect! In this section you will exercise your newly acquired signing vocabulary and sentence-creating techniques.

Below are several new sentences. Translate these English sentences into ASL and then sign the translated sentence. Imagine that this is a real dialog. Ask yourself questions about what you might do when you sign each sentence. For example, do you normally smile when you say hello to someone? If the answer is yes, then you should smile when you sign HELLO. Click the English sentence to see a potential ASL translation.

1. I am lazy.

2. French is cool!

3. Are you learning without me?

4. Guess what? I'm tired.

5. Are you learning English?

c1l1practice1.mp4

English: 
I am lazy.
ASL: 
I LAZY.

c1l1practice2.mp4

English: 
French is cool!
ASL: 
FRENCH COOL!

c1l1practice3.mp4

English: 
Are you learning without me?
ASL: 
YOU LEARN WITHOUT ME?

c1l1practice4.mp4

English: 
Guess what? I'm tired.
ASL: 
GUESS WHAT? I TIRED.

c1l1practice5.mp4

English: 
Are you learning English?
ASL: 
YOU LEARN ENGLISH?

ASL101 - Lesson 1 Quiz

Questions:14
Attempts allowed:Unlimited
Available:Always
Pass rate:70 %
Backwards navigation:Allowed

A Word About Deaf Culture

In learning a foreign language, it is important to understand the culture of the people who use the language. It is within a community of people that a language is created. This language is an integral part of the community's culture. American Sign Language is the language of the Deaf community. American Sign Language is usually referred to as ASL. ASL is a part of Deaf culture.

Deaf culture refers to the way Deaf people live.

  • Deaf people are those people with a hearing loss who identify with the Deaf community.
  • Being able to sign ASL is an important criteria for accepting oneself as a member of the Deaf community
  • Not everyone who has a hearing loss says that they belong to the Deaf community.
  • We use the term "Deaf" to talk about people and events related to the Deaf community.
  • We use the term "deaf" to talk about anyone who has a hearing loss that makes it difficult to communicate by speaking and hearing.
  • Deaf culture is about Deaf people and the way they live.

Here are some notes about Deaf people:

  • Deaf people are just like any other group of people. They eat, dress, and have jobs just like anyone else. There are more similarities between Deaf and Hearing people than there are differences.
  • Deaf people all have some degree of hearing loss and use sign language as a major means of communicating with one another. In the United States and most parts of Canada, the sign language used is American Sign Language.
  • The Deaf community includes the lives and activities associated with Deaf people.
  • There are no hard and fast geographical boundaries that identify the Deaf community.
  • It can be a small community if we are talking about the Deaf community in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
  • Or it can be a large community if we are talking about the community of Deaf people in the United States.
  • Or it can be a highly populated community if we are talking about the community of Deaf people in the Washington, DC area.

The term Deaf culture is a reference to a wide range of activities, technologies, and organizations. A discussion about Deaf culture in the United States, for example, can touch upon the following topics:

  • Organizations
    • National Association of the Deaf
    • USA Deaf Sports Federation
  • Education
    • Gallaudet University (Washington, DC)
    • National Technical Institute for the Deaf (Rochester, New York)
    • California State University in Northridge
    • Schools programs for deaf children
  • Technology
    • TTY's (a keyboard device that allows deaf people to use the phone), video calls, text messaging
    • Close-captioning on TV and videos
  • Entertainment
    • National Theater of the Deaf
    • Deaf actors and actresses acting in movies and TV programs (ex. "Switched at Birth")
  • Literature
    • Newspapers and news magazines devoted to information about the Deaf community
    • Books and articles written by Deaf authors
  • And much more!

You will learn more about Deaf culture as you go through the ASL courses in the Signing Online American Sign Language series.

Reference:

  • Language in Motion: Exploring the Nature of Sign. By Jerome Schein and David Stewart, (1995). Published by Gallaudet University Press.
  • American Sign Language the Easy Way. By David Stewart, (1998). Published by Barron's Educational Series.
Overview
Learning the Signs
Created Sentences
The Complete Dialog
Additional Signs
Practice Activity
Quiz
Culture

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