•••••Simple tips on signing
Wanna sign like a pro? Here are some basic tips to hold the attention of the people you’re signing to. Maintain eye contact so that it’s apparent who you’re chatting up; this also gives the recipient a clearer view of your lips (for lip-reading, of course). Speak while you sign; many deaf people also read lips, and when you’re a beginning signer, your deaf friends may be relying more on what you say than what you sign. Be sure you have enough space so you can freely move your arms and really get into the conversation without knocking things over. Be free with your emotions and really let them show; using facial expressions helps you get across the tone of what you’re saying when someone can’t hear your voice change in volume, pitch and cadence. Sit or stand face to face; signing is easier to understand when you are face to face than side to side. And finally, if you’re a beginner, take your time and sign clearly so your signs don’t blend together and become confusing.
All right, some of the basic rules may not work in practice. Like if you’re biking or kayaking, how the hell are you going to sit face to face? Just be sure you sign away from your body so you don’t block the view. Also keep it brief and concise; for God’s sake, you’re not gonna hold a debate on religion, politics or what the best TV show is unless you stop to talk.
MIX AND MATCH〉〉〉
This book is full of simple phrases that you can match up with different sentence endings so you can express yourself any way you want. When you seethe beginning of a phrase that ends with ellipses, it’s followed by a few options of how you would complete the sentence. For example, “I wanna...” might be followed by “...sleep,” “eat,” or “fuck.” With a few basics under your belt, you’ll never be at a loss for signs.
But the best way to get better and increase your vocabulary is to hang out with deaf people. So go party, have a pint, converse at lunch or play sports with a deaf person, or if you’re lucky, pick up a hot deafie and learn all the best dirty words while you do them!
THE ALPHABET
NUMBERS
CHAPTER 1
HOWDY SIGN LANGUAGE
Looking to start things off on the right foot with that cute deaf girl across the room? First off, don’t be the dumbass who throws something at her to get her attention—that’s just rude. Instead, gently tap her on the shoulder, or wave in her direction.
Once you’re talking, be yourself! You don’t need to be more polite or “sensitive” just because you’re signing. If you swear when you’re speaking out loud, do the same with your signs. Don’t clean up your language or dumb it down; it’s insulting to think just because someone is deaf they can’t take it.
••••• Hello
Hi
Howdy
Good mornin’
Afternoon
G’night
What’s up…?
What up…? (laid-back sign for “What’s up?”)
dude
Some words don’t have signs, or you may not know them; then you just spell it out.
girl
my deafies
What’s new?
Eh, same old, same old.
Not much.
Shit if I know.
How you been?
How are you?
I’m feeling…
crappy.
stressed.
happy.
great!
pissed off.
Nice to meet you.
••••• It’s all in the name
Saying someone’s name in sign language can be far more interesting than the way you’d write it. This is because there is no one way to say a name. For simple impersonal signs, use the first letter of the name and place it outward from the face (forehead for masculine, jaw for feminine).
However, more personal name signs tend to incorporate elements of the person’s appearance or personality. A guy named Sean who has
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