American Sign Language, despite not being a voiced language, is in fact a fully complex, linguistically complete language. I began learning ASL when I was in 6th grade and continued practicing up until college.

Here is a link for the signs of the alphabet:

•  http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/fingerspelling/fingerspelling.htm

Along with a video which shows how to move your hands between each letter. It is really important to play close attention to each gesture; one missed movement and you could be saying something entirely different!

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDfnf96qz_4

Here are some of the common errors of many signers:

• Wrong handshape-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fF808PcfMI0

• No Facial Expression-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCeuf2sZO28

• Switching between hands-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sn79_mj-tTc

This link shows the basic 100 ASL signs

Facial expressions/lip movements/sounds are also ways to express meaning. When asking a question you raise your eyebrows, when telling a story you use different mouth gestures to convey meaning; similar to how we use intonation when we speak.

• http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-layout/facialexpressions.htm

It is an animated language, similar to how we change our pitch and tone. Monotone speakers are difficult to listen too, this is also true in ASL, without any expression and animation, it can be difficult to stay in conversation.

• http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/11/why-great-sign-language-interpreters-are-so-animated/264459/

ASL has a specific structure, though different than English. However, there is a little more flexibility within ASL compared to English.

“I am a student” could be signed

“I student I”

“Student I”

“I Student”

• http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-layout/syntax.htm
• http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-layout/grammar.htm

We have learned what areas of the brain are more geared towards language processing and communication. Just as aphasia affects speakers, it also has an affect on signing, called sign aphasia.

• http://lcn.salk.edu/DeafStrokeIntro.html
• http://lcn.salk.edu/lm_index.html

Similar to writing, ASL users can be either be right or left hand dominate, though many times both hands are used, in fingerspelling, there is a hand that is usually more dominate than the other.

• http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-layout/rightorlefthand.htm

Similar to other language, ASL also has slang

• https://snapguide.com/guides/use-asl-slang-american-sign-language-slang/

And just as we have different dialects of english, there are different dialects of ASL

• https://www.ethnologue.com/language/ase