Glossary for American Sign Language I-IV
ABC and 123 stories
Visual stories for entertainment purposes that incorporate handshapes for letters of the alphabet or numbers
American Sign Language (ASL)
A native, visual-gestural language used by Deaf members of the core Deaf community who share a common language, values, and experiences in interacting with others and having its own unique vocabulary, grammar, and syntax which are different from other sign languages used in North America
ASL manual alphabet
The group of 22 handshapes that, when held in certain positions and/or are produced with specific movements, represent the 26 letters of the English alphabet
Classifier
A handshape which has been used so often to show a certain type of thing, shape, amount, or size, that it is associated with a specific category of size, shape, or usage and cause the user of ASL to automatically think of a particular category of
• thing, such as objects, people, animals, vehicles
• shape, such as outlines, perimeters, surfaces, configurations, gradients
• size or quantity, such as amount, largeness, smallness, relative size, volume
• usage, such as movement paths, speed, interactions;
movement and placement which can be used to convey information about the movement, type, size, shape, location or extent of the thing to which the ASL user is referring
Deaf
When capitalized, the word “Deaf” refers to the culture and community of people who are deaf, indicating the difference between the cultural affiliation of identifying with a like group of people with a shared history, traditions, and language and the audiological condition of not hearing; the lower case “deaf” refers to the physical nature of being deaf, as well as to those individuals who are deaf who do not identify with Deaf culture; it is generally considered proper to use the term “people who are Deaf” instead of “deaf people” or “the deaf”
Deaf Professional Arts Network (D-PAN)
A national nonprofit organization that creates music videos featuring Deaf and hard-of-hearing performers, dedicated to promoting professional development and access to the entertainment, visual and media arts fields for individuals who are Deaf or hard of hearing
Deaf View/Image Art (De’VIA)
An art movement of the eyeing/Deaf arts
Deafhood
The process under which each individual who is deaf examines his or her struggles and explains his or her own existence in the world to himself or herself and other members within the Deaf community
Fingerspelling
The process of spelling out words by using signs from the ASL manual alphabet
Handshape
Configuration of the hand and fingers as part of a sign; one of the five parameters of ASL
Lexicalized sign
Fingerspelled English word that has been adopted as an accepted sign in ASL, with modification of one or more of the parameters
Movement
Distinctive actions of the hands for those signs that involve motion; one of the five parameters of ASL
Name sign
A unique sign given to an individual by members of the Deaf community through his or her involvement with the Deaf community that represents the individual’s name
Non-manual marker (NMM)
Any of the various facial expressions, head tilts, shoulder movements, mouth movements, and similar signals not made with the hands that are added to signs to convey meaning; one of the five parameters of ASL
Number incorporation
Integration of numbers into a sign to show quantity
Orientation
The direction in which the palm of the hand faces in generating a sign; one of the five parameters of ASL
Parameter
One of five characteristics of a sign in ASL: handshape, movement, NMM, orientation, and placement
Placement
The location of a sign relative to the body; one of the five parameters of ASL
Production
The active, purposeful expression of information intended to be seen by the eye; the ASL equivalent of speaking or writing
Sign intensity
Varying the vigor, speed, or abruptness of a sign and facial expressions to show intensity of action
Signacy
Fluency of ASL, including both receptive and expressive skills
Signing
Using hands, facial expressions, and body language to compose and communicate messages in a visual/gestural language
Temporal aspect
Method by which ASL gives information about time via verb modulation (inflection), such as the duration or frequency of an event rather than the actual time of the event
Teletypewriter (TTY)
A type of electronic device for text communication over a telephone line designed for use by persons with hearing or speech difficulties
Visual attending
The active, purposeful reception of information intended to be seen by the eye; the ASL equivalent of listening (aural reception)
Modern Languages I-IV: American Sign Language - Glossary
Foreign Languages Curriculum Framework
Arkansas Department of Education
2014
Instructor: Jared Hogue, M.S. Ed.
Bachelor of Arts in Interpretation: ASL/English
Master of Science in Education in Education Leadership
20 years experience as an interpreter and teacher within the Deaf community
Bachelor of Arts in Interpretation: ASL/English
Master of Science in Education in Education Leadership
20 years experience as an interpreter and teacher within the Deaf community