American Sign Language (ASL) Basics

American Sign Language is a complete, natural language used by Deaf communities in the United States and much of Canada. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIDCD), it has the same linguistic properties as spoken languages. It has its own rules for pronunciation, word formation and word order, and its grammar is different from English.

• It's not English on the hands. ASL has its own sentence structure. "Signing English word for word" is a different thing.
• It's not universal. Different countries have different sign languages. British Sign Language (BSL) is very different from ASL, and even uses a two-handed alphabet.
• Your face is part of the grammar. Facial expressions and body movement carry meaning. For example, for a yes/no question, signers raise their eyebrows, widen their eyes and lean forward slightly.
• It has history. No one person invented ASL. It grew more than 200 years ago from local sign languages in America mixing with French Sign Language. Today they are separate languages.
• It has accents. Like any language, ASL has regional variations, slang, and signs that differ by age and community.

Deaf culture: "Deaf" versus "deaf"

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) explains that lowercase deaf describes the audiological condition of not hearing, while capital-D Deaf refers to a group of people who share a language (ASL) and a culture. Many Deaf people see themselves as a cultural and language community, not as people with something missing.

A note on learning from a page. Signs move, and movement, location and facial expression all matter. Use this page for the basics and a vocabulary of handshapes, then watch the signs in motion on the video sites linked at the bottom. Best of all, learn from Deaf teachers.

Fingerspelling uses one handshape per letter to spell out English words. It's mostly used for names of people and places, brand names, and words that don't have a common sign. It's a small part of ASL, but it's the best place to start because you'll use it to introduce yourself.

How to fingerspell well

1. Use your dominant hand, held up near your shoulder, palm generally facing the person you're talking to.
2. Keep your hand in one place. Don't bounce or push it forward on every letter. Let the letters flow smoothly from one to the next.
3. For double letters (like the two Ls in "Bell"), make a small slide to the side or a slight bounce, instead of making the letter twice from scratch.
4. Steady rhythm beats speed. Even, clear letters are easier to read than fast, jerky ones.
5. Read whole words, not single letters. Fluent signers read the overall shape and movement of a word, the way you read printed words without spelling them out.

The trainer below describes every handshape in words. Each letter's card says what each finger does. "Folded" means bent down into the palm, and "touches thumb" means its tip meets the thumb tip.

Easy to mix up: A, S, T, M, N and E are all closed-fist letters. Look at the thumb: beside the fist (A), across the front (S), poking between the first two fingers (T), under three fingers (M) or two (N), or tucked under bent fingertips (E).

ASL numbers are one-handed. Notice that 3 uses the thumb, index and middle fingers. It is not the "W" handshape. Numbers 6 to 9 are made by touching the thumb to one fingertip, while the other fingers stay up.

Which way does the palm face? ASL University (Lifeprint) notes that when counting 1 to 5 on their own, native Deaf signers typically face the palm toward themselves. For a series of digits, like a phone number, and for multi-digit numbers, the palm faces out.

All the numbers are in the trainer too. Choose Numbers in "Quiz me" to practice.

These signs are among the first that classes teach. In ASL writing, signs are often written in CAPITAL letters as a "gloss." The descriptions below are for a right-handed signer. Watch each one on a video dictionary before using it, because movement is hard to capture in words.

Name signs are special signs for people's names. They're given to you by members of the Deaf community, so don't make one up for yourself. Until then, fingerspell your name.

• Getting attention: wave your hand in their line of sight, gently tap a shoulder or arm, or flick the lights in a room. Don't grab or startle someone from behind.
• Keep eye contact. Looking away while someone signs is like walking out mid-sentence. Watch the face, not just the hands.
• Talk to the person, not the interpreter. Say "How are you?", not "Ask her how she is." Look at the Deaf person while you talk.
• Don't walk between two signers if you can avoid it. If you must, go through quickly without stopping, and there's no need for a long apology.
• Don't over-exaggerate your mouth or shout. Speak naturally if they lip-read, face them, and keep your mouth uncovered. Not all Deaf people lip-read, and lip-reading only catches part of what's said.
• Writing is fine. A notepad or a phone's notes app is a perfectly good way to communicate. Use whatever works.
• Use the words people prefer. Many in the community prefer "Deaf" or "hard of hearing" to "hearing impaired." Never use "deaf and dumb" or "deaf-mute."
• Try your signs. Most Deaf people appreciate a hearing person who is genuinely learning. If you don't understand, it's fine to ask them to repeat or to sign more slowly.

Some knowledge isn't fluency. For medical, legal, school or work situations, the Americans with Disabilities Act requires many businesses, hospitals and government services to provide effective communication, which often means a qualified interpreter. Don't offer to interpret just because you've learned the basics.