See how the players on each team (represented by the fingers) line up and crash
into one another?
VICE-PRESIDENT
AREA (location)
CAFETERIA
GYMNASIUM
HALLWAY
Be careful that your hands are up and down, because when the fingertips face
forward, the sign becomes ROAD.
LIBRARY
OFFICE
STADIUM/AUDITORIUM
Can you see how the hands show
the people sitting on a slope?
STUDENT CENTER
Student Center
TECHNOLOGY+CENTER
THEATRE/DRAMA/ACT/SHOW
CLASS
This sign can also be initialized with a “T” for TEAM, an “F” for FAMILY,
or a “G” for GROUP.
LOCKER
to LOOK-FOR/SEARCH
ROOM/BOX
Notice how the hands show the four walls of a room. Office is the
same way but with the “O” handshape.
STORE
COACH/BOSS/DEAN
COUNSELOR
Without the agent marker, this sign is counsel, or advice.
INTERPRETER
LIBRARIAN
NURSE
PRINCIPAL
PSYCHOLOGIST
SECRETARY
Fingerspell:LAB and POOL
NEIGHBORHOOD
HOME+AREA
to COOK
Notice how the action is that of flipping food over in a pan.
to MANAGE/CONTROL
This movement represents holding and controlling the reins of a horse.
to PICK-ON
to SERVE
Add the agent marker and this sign becomes
WAITER.
to WRITE
TEACH
TEACHER
LEARNThe sign for student is
LEARN + the agent marker, which represents
a person. Can you see how the sign brings the
information off the page and into the head?
STUDENT(LEARN+STUDENT)
The sign for student is LEARN + the agent
marker, which represents a person. Can you see how
the sign brings the information off the page
and into the head?
COMPETE
ATHLETE
PSYCHOLOGY
PSYCHOLOGIST
ACTIVITY CENTER
FRONT
BACK
FIELD (grass + area)
Be careful not to sign FIELD TRIP, as this is not the correct
concept… unless you are taking a trip to an actual field.
FLAG
To sign HOTEL simply change the handshape to
an “H”.
SNACK MACHINE
See how the cogs of the machine are working together?
SODA MACHINE
FRESHMAN
SOPHOMORE
JUNIOR
SENIOR
WHAT YEAR ARE
YOU?
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
To sing KINDERGARTEN simply change the “E” to a “K”. You can see how they are both under the non-dominant hand, representing basic
schooling.
MIDDLE SCHOOL
JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
To sign HIGH SCHOOL, simply fingerspell HS.
HIGH SCHOOL
To sign HIGH SCHOOL, simply
fingerspell
“HS”.
COLLEGE
COLLEGE is signed with a flat hand instead of a “U”
handshape.
UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE is signed with a flat hand instead of a “U”
handshape.
to MAJOR-IN/MAIN
To sign MINOR, move the dominate hand underneath, instead of the
top.
to TAKE-UP (something)
…as in to take a class
This is also the sign for ADOPT.
to TAKE-SOMETHING (literal)
to FORGET
This movement represents wiping
something from your forehead.
to REMEMBER
Here we see the sign showing taking something from the head and sticking it to the thumb, as if
to remember it.
to THINK
To sign THINK-ABOUT or WONDER circle the index finger at the temple with either one or two hands.
ART
When you change the handshape to a “D” you
have the sign for DESIGN.
AUTO MECHANICS/WRENCH
BUSINESS
Notice that BUSINESS is a big movement - BUSY is
a smaller quicker movement.
SCIENCE
See how the sign looks like you are pouring in liquid for
an experiment?
BIOLOGY
CHEMISTRY
Alternate Signs for
Computer
COMPUTER TECH
DRAMA/ACT/ THEATER/SHOW
ECONOMICS
EDUCATION
Notice how this sign is similar to teach? The information is coming
out of the brain and moving forward with the initialized letters
“ED”.
ENGINEERING
The sign for MEASURE is very similar. The two “Y” hands touch
instead of one twisting.
ENGLISH
GEOGRAPHY
This is also the sign for EARTH.
GOVERNMENT
Change the handshape to a “P” and you have the sign for POLITICS or “F” for FEDERAL.
GYM
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
HEALTH (x2)
HISTORY
JOURNALISM
This is also the sign for
PRINT, PUBLICATION and NEWSPAPER.
MATH
The root sign for MULTIPLY or FIGURE-OUT is made with two “V” hands. Here we see it initialized
with an “M” for MATH.
ALGEBRA
Other Related Math Subjects Initialized
CALCULUS
Other Related Math Subjects Initialized
GEOMETRY
Other Related Math Subjects Initialized
TRIGONOMETRY
Other Related Math Subjects Initialized
PHOTOGRAPHY
PHYSICS
The sign for BATTERY and ELCETRICITY are made the same
way, but with only the index fingers.
PHYSIOLOGY
SOCIOLOGY
SPEECH
This is also the sign for LECTURE. Change the
handshape to an “F” and you have PREACH.
WOODSHOP
YEARBOOK
TECHNOLOGY
TEACHER’S ASSISTANT
BUSY
…. BUSINESS
MAINSTREAMED
Deaf student(s) attending public school
PUBLIC-SCHOOL
(see the sign HEARING used for public.)
Deaf student(s) attending public school
ONE-IN-A-CROWD
One student attending public school.
SCHOOL-FOR-THE-DEAF
ORAL-EDUCATION
Students rely on lip reading and speaking.
GALLAUDET
G.U. is the only 4 year, liberal arts university in
America.
An A Grade
You can also sign B
and C grades on
the hand in the same
way.
An F Grade/FLUNK/FAIL
to be GOOD-AT/SKILLED
to be BAD-AT
The Classifier 3
represents any land or sea vehicle.
You MUST identify with a sign what the classifier represents FIRST and then you may give additional information about the sign with the appropriate
classifier.
CL: 3 Examples:
The bicycle went up a hill.
BICYCLE CL:3 (go uphill)
The motorcycle did a wheelie.
MOTORCYCLE CL:3 (did wheelie)
The car crashed into a tree.
TREE CAR CL:3 (crash into tree)
The Classifier 1 generally depicts an individual and it’s location, action, and manner. Manipulate the sign to reflect details such as walking slowly, hunched over, falling down, passing someone, etc.
Classifier 1 can also indicate cylindrical objects as well, such as poles, logs,
pencils, etc.
MAN CL:1 (walk slowly)
MAN CL:1 (walk quickly)
KIDS CL:V (walk
together)
The classifier V (written upside-down) represents the
actions of an individual's legs or eyes.
Lying on back
Jumping
Walking
ACCIDENT
BUS
to DANCE
to LINE-UP
to LOOK-AT
MOTORCYCLE
to RIDE-A-HORSE
AMERICA
AROUND/ABOUT/APPROXIMATELY
HOUR
HALF HOUR
NOON
Here we see the sun at the directly above
us.
MIDNIGHT
Now the sun is on the opposite of the
earth.
TIME/WHAT TIME IS IT (‘WH’
NMS)
ALARM/BELL
to ARRIVE
to ARRIVE/LAND (plane)
to DEPART/TAKE-OFF (plane)
to TAKE-OFF (person)As in need to leave in a hurry.
to FINISH/to be done
This sign also means to stop doing something. To CUT-IT-