By the end of this chapter you will be able to explain what American Sign Language actually is, tell the difference between it and English on the hands, use the words Deaf, deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing correctly, and walk into a room with Deaf people knowing how to get someone's attention politely. You will not learn any signs yet. That starts soon, and it will go much better once you understand what kind of language you are learning.
American Sign Language is a language, not a code
American Sign Language, usually shortened to ASL, is the language used by most Deaf people in the United States and in English-speaking Canada. In Quebec, most Deaf people use a separate language, langue des signes québécoise, usually shortened to LSQ. It is a full, natural language. It has its own vocabulary, its own rules for word order, its own grammar carried on the face and body, its own poetry, jokes, storytelling styles, and regional accents. It was not invented by hearing people as a helper for English, and it is not a word-for-word translation of English.
Two common misunderstandings are worth clearing up right away.
The first is the idea that ASL is just gesture, or a kind of universal pantomime. It is not. Gestures like shrugging your shoulders or pointing at a door are things almost anyone can understand. ASL is a specific language with thousands of conventional signs that you have to learn, the same way you would learn vocabulary in Spanish or Korean. Sign languages are also not universal. British Sign Language is a completely different language from ASL, and a British Deaf person and an American Deaf person cannot simply understand each other.
The second misunderstanding is that ASL is English on the hands. There is a system that tries to do that, called Signing Exact English, often shortened to SEE. It takes English word order and adds invented signs for things like the word endings i n g and e d, and for words such as the and is. Signing Exact English is a manual code for English, used mostly in some school settings. It is not ASL, and it is not the language of the Deaf community. This book teaches ASL.
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Three examples of the difference
Throughout this book, when we write an ASL sentence in print, we use what is called a gloss. A gloss writes each sign in capital letters using the closest English word. It is a labeling tool, not a translation. Here are three sentences that show how ASL differs from English.
- English: I am a teacher. The ASL gloss is ME TEACHER. There is no sign for am and no sign for a. ASL does not use the verb to be, and it does not use articles.
- English: Are you hungry? The ASL gloss is YOU HUNGRY, signed with your eyebrows raised and your head tilted slightly forward. There is no separate question word at all. Your face does the work that the word are and the question mark do in English.
- English: Yesterday I went to the grocery store. The ASL gloss is YESTERDAY ME GO STORE. The time word comes first and sets the tense for everything after it. There is no past tense ending on the verb, because the word yesterday already told you when.
Notice that ASL is not a shortened or simplified English. It is doing the same jobs with different tools: word order, space, and the face. Those tools are taught step by step in later chapters.
Deaf, deaf, hard of hearing, hearing
These four words get used loosely in everyday English, but in this community they carry real meaning.
- Deaf with a capital D refers to cultural identity. A capital D Deaf person identifies with the Deaf community, usually uses a sign language, and sees deafness as a normal way of being human rather than as a defect to be fixed.
- deaf with a lowercase d refers simply to the audiological fact of not hearing, without any statement about identity or community.
- Hard of hearing describes people with some hearing loss. Some of them sign, some do not, and some move between Deaf and hearing worlds. It is the term most people prefer over the word hearing-impaired, which many find negative because it defines a person by what is broken.
- Hearing is the ordinary word for people who hear. In Deaf spaces, hearing is simply a normal descriptive label, not an insult. You will use it about yourself all the time.
The capital D matters because it moves the conversation from medicine to culture. Most Deaf people are not looking for sympathy about hearing loss. They have a language, a community, and a history. Two words to avoid entirely: deaf-mute and deaf and dumb. Both are outdated and offensive. If you are unsure which word an individual prefers, it is perfectly fine to ask politely.
Etiquette you need before you sign a single sign
Good manners in Deaf spaces are visual and physical. Here is what to do.
Getting someone's attention
- Wave in their line of sight. Raise your hand to about shoulder or chest height, inside the edge of their vision, with a flat hand and a relaxed, medium-sized side to side wave. Do not flap wildly in front of their face, and do not wave from across the room at someone deep in conversation.
- Tap the shoulder. Two or three light taps on the upper arm or the point of the shoulder. This is normal and not rude. Never tap the head, face, or back, and never grab.
- Flick the lights. To get a whole room's attention, flip the light switch off and on once or twice, not repeatedly like a strobe.
- Table or floor vibration. A firm thump on a shared table, or a stamp on a wooden floor, works when someone is looking away. Use it gently and only when appropriate.
- Ask a third person to pass it along. Tapping the person next to your friend and asking them to relay the tap is completely normal.
Eye contact and conversation flow
In ASL, eye contact is not optional politeness. It is how you receive the message. If you look away, you are not just being rude, you are literally not listening. Train yourself to keep your eyes on the signer's face. You will still see the hands with your peripheral vision, and the face is where the grammar lives.
- If you must break away, signal it. A quick raised hand or a small pause tells the other person to hold on.
- To interrupt, wave gently in the signer's eyeline or touch their forearm and wait. Do not step into the space between two people who are signing. If you must cross, walk through at a normal pace without ducking or apologizing at length.
- To leave a conversation, say so visually before you go. Slipping away silently is jarring.
- Do not talk out loud over signers, and do not hold a spoken side conversation in a room of Deaf people. It is the same as whispering in front of someone in any language.
- Keep your hands and mouth visible. Do not sign with food in your hands, and do not cover your mouth.
Working with an interpreter
If you are a teacher, nurse, receptionist, or manager, you will one day work with a sign language interpreter. The rules are simple.
- Talk to the Deaf person, not the interpreter. Say "How can I help you?" and not "Ask her how I can help her." Keep your eyes on the Deaf person even while the interpreter is speaking.
- Stand or sit so the Deaf person can see you and the interpreter at once. The interpreter usually positions near you.
- Speak at a normal pace. There is a short delay, so pause to let the interpreter finish before moving on.
- The interpreter is not a participant. Do not ask them for opinions, and do not expect them to explain a Deaf person's answer.
- For anything medical, legal, or high stakes, arrange a qualified professional interpreter. In the United States, the Americans with Disabilities Act generally requires hospitals, doctors' offices, courts, and most businesses and public agencies to provide a qualified interpreter and to pay for it themselves, rather than asking the Deaf person to bring someone along. Do not use a family member, a child, or a hearing beginner. Getting the wrong information in a hospital or a courtroom can be dangerous.
Learn from Deaf people
This book can teach you handshapes, structure, and vocabulary. It cannot give you a living language model. For that you need Deaf people, and the good news is that they are easy to find.
- Use Deaf-run video dictionaries. Look for dictionary sites and channels where the signers are Deaf and the site says so clearly. Video matters because a sign is movement, and a still drawing can only approximate it.
- Go to Deaf events. Many towns have a regular Deaf coffee chat, a silent dinner, or a Deaf social night, often posted on community social media pages or through a state commission for the Deaf or a local Deaf club. Arrive humble, introduce yourself as a learner, and be prepared to fingerspell a lot.
- Take a class taught by a Deaf teacher. Deaf instructors give you accurate grammar, natural facial expression, and cultural context that hearing textbooks miss. They also have a direct stake in the language.
- Pay Deaf people for their expertise. Buy from Deaf creators, hire Deaf tutors, and share Deaf-made content rather than hearing imitations.
One caution about attitude. You are a guest in a community that has spent a long time having its language dismissed. Learn, watch far more than you produce at first, and accept corrections cheerfully. That posture will get you further than any vocabulary list.
Recap
ASL is a complete natural language with its own grammar, not a code for English and not universal gesture. Signing Exact English is a separate system that follows English word order. In ASL there is no verb to be and no articles, time words come first, and the face carries grammar such as questions. Capital D Deaf signals cultural identity, lowercase d deaf describes hearing status, hard of hearing is the preferred term for partial hearing loss, and hearing simply describes people who hear. Get attention by waving in the eyeline, tapping a shoulder, flicking the lights, or thumping a table. Hold eye contact, do not talk over signers, and when an interpreter is present, speak directly to the Deaf person. Above all, learn from Deaf people.
Review checklist
- I can explain in one or two sentences why ASL is a language and not English on the hands.
- I can name one difference between ASL and Signing Exact English.
- I can give an ASL gloss for "I am a teacher" and say why there is no sign for am.
- I know that time words come first in an ASL sentence and that the face can turn a statement into a question.
- I can define capital D Deaf, lowercase d deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing, and I know to avoid the terms deaf-mute and hearing-impaired.
- I can list at least three polite ways to get a Deaf person's attention and describe how the wave should look.
- I know why looking away mid-conversation is rude, and how to interrupt or excuse myself.
- I know to speak directly to the Deaf person when an interpreter is present, and to arrange a qualified interpreter for medical and legal situations.
- I have found at least one Deaf-run video dictionary and one local or online Deaf event I could attend.
