Read The American Sign Language Phrase Book Online
Authors: Lou Fant,Barbara Bernstein Fant,Betty Miller
FINLAND
FIREFIGHTER
FIRST
FISH
FISHING
fitting (AGREE)
five aids for reading the drawings
FLIP OVER
FLOOD
FLOWER
FLUNK
FOLLOW
food (EAT)
FOOTBALL
FOR
forbid (PROHIBIT)
FORK
foster children/daughter/son/brother/sister
fractions
FRANCE
free (SAVE)
free time (VACATION)
freeze (ICE)
FRESHMAN
FRIDAY
FRIEND
frighten (SCARE)
FROG
FROM
FUNERAL
future (WILL)
GALLAUDET—Thomas H. Gallaudet; Gallaudet College. This is also the sign for glasses (spectacles)
GALOSHES (overshoes)
GAY
GERMANY—German
GET—acquire
GET ON
GET UP—arise from a sitting or prone position
GIRAFFE
GIRL
GIVE ME
glad (HAPPY)
GLASS
glasses, spectacles (GALLAUDET)
GO—the emphasis is on leaving, departing, going away
go away—(3) MELT
go into (ENTER)
GO TO—the emphasis is arriving, going to a place
go to sleep (BED)
goal (AIM)
GOAT
GOD
GOING—The emphasis is the act itself as it is happening. If you and a deaf person are walking along together and you wish to ask where you are going, use this sign. It is used less often than the other signs for "go"
GOLF
gone (1) ABSENT
(2) GO
GOOD
GOOD-BYE
good—THANK YOU
GO—the emphasis is on leaving, departing, going away
GOT TO (MUST)
GOVERNMENT
governor—combination of GOVERNMENT and AGENT
GPS
grab (ARREST)
GRAB—take
GRADUATE
graduate school—combination of GRADUATE and SCHOOL
graduate student—combination of GRADUATE, LEARN, and AGENT
GRANDFATHER
GRANDMOTHER
GRAVE—tomb; cemetery
gravy (GREASE)
GRAY
GREASE—oily; gravy
GREECE—Greek
GREEN
gripe (COMPLAIN)
GROUP
GROW—spring
grumble (COMPLAIN)
guidance (ADVISE)
HAIR DRYER
half brother/sister
HAMBURGER
HANDBALL
HAPPY—glad; merry
Happy birthday
Happy Hanukkah
Happy New Year
HARD
hard-boiled eggs
HARD DRIVE (H-D)
HARD-OF-HEARING
HAT
HATE
HAVE
HAVE—own, possess
HAWAII
HAWK
HE GIVES HER
HE/HIM/SHE/HER/IT
HE/SHE/IT
HEADACHE
HEALTH—This is a new sign so it may not be known by many deaf people. It is used mostly in academic circles
HEAR
HEARING
HEARING AID
HEAVEN
Hebrew (JEWISH)
HELL
HELLO
HELP—aid, assist
HERE
high-definition TV
HIM/HER/IT
HIMSELF/HERSELF/ITSELF
HIS/HER/ITS
HISTORY
HOLLAND—Dutch
HOME
HOPE—expect
hope to be (AIM)
HORSE
HOSPITAL
HOT
HOTEL
hour (ONE HOUR)
HOUSE
housewife—combination of HOUSE and WIFE
HOW
HOW MANY—how much
HOW MUCH
how much (HOW MANY)
however (BUT)
HUNGER—wish; desire, passion, lust
HUNTING
hurt (PAIN)
HUSBAND
HYPODERMIC—get a shot
I/ME
ICE—freeze
ICE CREAM
ICE-SKATE
ill (SICK)
illegal (PROHIBIT)
impossible (CAN'T)
IN
IN—inside
IN-LAW
indeed (TRUE)
INDEPENDENT
INDIA
influence (ADVISE)
inquire (QUERY)
insane (CRAZY)
INSECT
INSTITUTE
INSTITUTION—although this sign means "institution," it is used almost exclusively to mean a residential school for deaf children
instruct (TEACH)
INSURANCE
INTERNET
Internet service providers
INTERPRET
INTRODUCE
IP relay
iPods
IRAN
IRELAND—Irish
ISLAM/MUSLIM
ISRAEL—Israeli
IT—he; she
ITALY—Italian
jacket (COAT)
JAIL
JAPAN—Japanese
JESUS
JEWISH
JEWISH—Hebrew
job (WORK)
JOIN—connect
journal (MAGAZINE)
JUDGE
judge—combination of JUDGE and AGENT
JUDGE—court, trial
July
JUNIOR
KNEEL
KNIFE
KNOW
KOREA—Korean
labeling of the drawings
LANGUAGE
LAPTOP
LARGE—big
LAST WEEK—a week ago
LAST YEAR—a year ago
LATE—In addition to meaning "tardy," this sign is used a great deal to mean "not yet." It implies than an event has not taken place, but will take place. For example, the sentence EAT LATE means, "I haven't eaten yet"
LATE AFTERNOON
LATER—after a while
LAW
lawyer—combination of LAW and AGENT
LEARN
LEFT—opposite of right
LEFT TURN
LEGISLATURE
LEMON
LEND—borrow
LESBIAN
LESS
LESS THAN
LESSON—course, chapter
LET'S SEE—used in expressions such as "We'll see about that"
LETTUCE
lexicalized fingerspelling
liberate (SAVE)
LIBRARY
LICENSE
LIE DOWN
light, sight, and space
LIGHT FLASH
LIGHTNING
LIKE
LIKE—to be attracted to, enjoy
line of work (MAJOR)
LION
LIPREAD—Schools for deaf children that do not use any sign language in their instructional program are called "oral" schools. This sign is used to refer to these schools. A school for hearing children is signed SPEAK SCHOOL. The LIPREAD sign also means "speech" and "to read lips"
LITTLE BIT—not much
LIVE—life; address
LOAF
LOBSTER
LONG—used only in the sense of long span of something that endures or lasts for a long time
LONG AGO
LOOK—watch; stare
look like (FACE)
LORD
LOSE
LOUSY—awful, terrible, rotten, crummy
LOVE
lovely (PRETTY)
LUGGAGE—baggage; suitcase
lunch—combination of EAT and NOON
LUTHERAN
MAGAZINE—journal
magnificent (WONDERFUL)
MAJOR—course of study in school; line of work; specialty
MAN
manage (CONTROL)
manual alphabet
Manually Coded English (MCEs)
MANY—a lot of
MARRY
MASS
MATH
may (CAN)
may not (CAN'T)
MAYBE
MCEs (Manually Coded English)
ME/I
MEAN—intended, intention, meaning
MEAT
MEDICINE
MEDIUM (glass)
MEET—encounter another person
MELON
MELT—disappear, go away
MEMORIZE
Merry Christmas
merry (HAPPY)
MESSAGE/COMMENT
MEXICO—Mexican
MILK
MILWAUKEE
MINUTE
MISSIONARY
MISTAKE
MIX
MOBILE PHONE—cell phone
modify (CHANGE)
MONDAY
MONEY
money
MONKEY
MONTH
MONTHLY
MORE THAN
MORMON
MORNING
MOST
MOTHER
motion pictures (MOVIE)
MOUNTAIN
MOUSE
MOVIE—cinema, film, motion pictures
MSN
MUCH
MULE
MUSEUM
MUSIC—sing, song
MUSLIM/ISLAM
MUST—
SM
: necessary, have to, go to, obligated to. The idea is that one has no choice
MUST—
DM
: should, ought to; the idea here is that it would be a good idea, but that it is not obligatory. The double movement may also mean "need"
MUST NEED
MY—mine
MYSELF
NAME
names
NEAR
NEAR FUTURE
NEED
negation
negative questions
NEPHEW
NEVER
NEW
NEW ORLEANS
NEW YORK
NEWSPAPER
NEXT WEEK—a week from now
NEXT YEAR
NICE—
SM
:
NICE—
DM
: clean, neat
NIECE
NIGHT—evening
no
no one (NONE)
NONE—not any; nothing; no one
NOON
NORWAY—Norwegian
NOT—don't; didn't
not allowed (PROHIBIT)
not any (NONE)
not much (LITTLE BIT)
nothing (NONE)
NOTIFY—inform
NOW
NOW—at present
NOW—at present, present, presently
NUMBER
numbers
NUT
OBEY
objective (AIM)
objects (COMPLAIN)
ocean (WATER, WAVE [1], WAVE [2], WAVE [3])
ODD—strange
offend, offensive (DISGUST)
oily (GREASE)
OK (FINE)
OLD—age
Olympics (CHAIN)
ON
ONE HOUR
ONION
ONLY—single, alone. In addition to this meaning, the ONLY sign means "some" in expressions such as "someone," "someday," "something," and "somehow," either in combination with signs ONE, DAY, THING, and HOW, or all by itself. In the sentence, "I had some feeling that everything was not right," the ONLY sign is used for the idea of "some"