UMBERING

______. zn ......----
'

ERICAN
IGN
GUAGE
Number Signs for Everyone
------+ • ....____

- $~""~
DAWN SIGN PRESS
San Diego, CA
 NUMBERING IN AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE: Number Signs for Everyone
Copyright© 1998 DawnSignPress
All Rights Reserved.

No part of this book (except brief quotations to be included in a review) may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,
or otherwise, without written pennission from the publisher.

Manufactured in the United States of America

Published by DawnSignPress

SIGNMODEJB

Sandra Ammons Ben Bahan Tina]o Breindel

]oeDannis In Hwa Reisig Ginnie MacDougall Ken Mikos

Bob Hiltermann

library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Numbering in American Sign Language: number signs for everyone.
p. em.
ISBN 0-915035· 72-3 (alk. paper)
1. American Sign Language-Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Counting.
3. Grammar, comparative and general-Quantifiers.
HV2474.N86 1998
419-dc21 98-25013
CIP

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

Quantity discounts for schools, bookstores, and

distributors are available.
For information, please contact:

--S-~"l-­
DAwNSIGNPREss
6130 Nancy Ridge Drive
San Diego, CA 92121
858-625-0600 VfiTY 858-625-2336 FAX
ORDER TOLL FREE 1-800-549-5350
Visit us at www.dawnsign.com
 ABOUT THIS BOOK
•
Several years ago Joe Dannis and Ben Bahan committed DawnSignPress to the development of a book about
the number sign system in American Sign Language. Alot of effort has gone into this book and there are many
people to be recognized for their contribution toward making this book a reality.

Cinnie MacDougall, with Ben's guidance, spent a great deal of time and effort researching and developing
vocabulary lists of numbers signs. Cinnie worked closely with Joe on the materials used for Paul Setzer's
detailed sign illustrations that bring ASL to life on the printed page. Don Newkirk's consultation and advice
about the vocabulary and text were an important contribution to the manuscript stage. DawnSignPress'
production team, Rebecca Ryan, Robin Taylor, Tina Jo Breindel, Robb Pawlak, Andy Granda, and
Ryan Stern, put in many hours refining the manuscript and turning vocabulary lists, illustrations, and text
into a finished book.

DawnSignPress offers sincere appreciation for the collaborative efforts of the people who made this book
possible. We know you will benefit from their efforts to make Numbering in American Sign Language the
best book possible.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

•
Introduction vii

Chapter 1: How Many

- Numbers 0-10 1
- Numbers 11-30 2
- Numbers 31-109, and Multiples of 100 3
-Emphasis 9
- Large Numbers and Mixed Numbers 9
lOBI Approxbnations 11
- Number Representation 12
Ill Quantifiers 13

Chapter 2: Money
-Cents 17
. . Fingerspelling Cents 18
Bl Dollars 19
R1 Mixed Money Signs 20
- Approxbnate Money Signs 21

Chapter 3: Finances
- Payment and Spending 23
-Income 25
-Losses 26
- Finance-Related Signs 27
- Finance-Related Occupations 29

Chapter 4: Measurements
- Numerical Signs Showing Quantity and Frequency 31
- Quantifiers 32
-Fractions 33
- Body Measurements 35
1B Vehicle-Related and Computer-Related Signs 40
Chapter 5: How Long
-Seconds 43
- Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, and Months 43
-Years 46
-Duration 47

Chapter 6: How Often

- Numerical Time Frequency Signs 51
- Other Frequency Signs 54

Chapter 7: When
- Signs for Telling Time 57
- Time Estimates 58
- The Timeline in ASL 61
- Year and Date Signs 67

Chapter 8: Age
-Age 69

Chapter 9: Sports
- Sports-Related Vocabulary 75
- Placement and Scores 78

Chapter 10: Where, Which

1B1 Location 81
1D11 Places 83
U. Rank or Order in Family 83
m Ordinal Numbers 85

Chapter 11: Personal Numbers

D11 Identification Numbers 87
- Signs for Specific Things 89

Chapter 12: Scientific Numbers

- Scientific Numbers 91
 INTRODUCTION

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

•
N UMBER SIGNS FOR EVERYONE gives basic information about how numbers are used
in American Sign Language (ASL). In twelve chapters you will be introduced to basic
number signs such as counting from 1 to 10, and complex number signs, such as how to
describe the placement of a team in a volleyball tournament

Over one thousand illustrations of number signs constitute the majority of the book.
mustrations can never take the place of learning signs from a live instructor or from
interacting with signers, but the sign illustrations do have detailed content that will help
you learn to form the sign correctly.

HOW TO READ THE ILLUSTRATIONS

The basic four parameters of every sign are handshape, palm orientation, location, and movement. When
evaluating a sign illustration, first identify how each of these elements contributes to the sign.

HANDSHAPE
There are approximately forty commonly used handshapes in ASL and many others that are seen only
occasionally. Many of the handshapes appear similar, but are in fact very specific.

vii
INTRODUCTION

The following chart shows the common handshapes for ASL.

-~ -~ -~ -~
.ft .fl -~ -~
.t1 Jtl -~ ~
-~ -~ -~ .rr
~ -~ -~ -~
PALM ORIENTATION
Orientation of the hands, such as palm facing outward, palm facing inward, and thumb side of the hand
pointing up or down, is an important part of expressing a sign. With number signs you will notice that palm
orientation sometimes changes depending on the context.

1 year old
LOCATION
Understanding the location of a sign means that you know where to express the sign in relation to your body.
Some signs are made near the chest, while others are made near the forehead or shoulder. Changing the
location of a sign can change the meaning.

viii
 INTRODUCTION

MOVEMENTS
Because ASL is a visually active language, the most difficult requirement of a sign illustration is to show
movement. To fascilitate the three-dimensional nature of signs, illustrations incorporate a number of
helpful features.

Arrows show the direction, path, and repetition of the movement. Here are the arrows you will see.

Directional arrows ~ point in the direction the sign is to be made. See sign examples below.

Bi-directional arrows ~ indicate a back and forth motion. See sign examples below.

Path arrows~ show you the path of movement of the sign. See sign examples below.

all of us
ix
INTRODUCTION

Repetive arrows CE!;> show you the sign's movement is repeated twice or more. See sign examples below.

every 4 years stack

Atouch is when part of the handshape touches the chest, shoulder or other part of the body. Touches are
shown this way.
/
'

Examples of touch marks:

than second

When a handshape is supposed to be ''wiggled" or moved back and forth slightly, there will be wiggle marks
indicating this.
))
Examples of wiggle marks:

2:00 30-something

X
 INTRODUCTION

To illustrate how motion can affect the meaning of a sign, and how the detail of a sign illustration can help you
evaluate that motion, look at the following three signs.

regularly every year

As you can see, the handshapes, movements, and locations of these signs are all similar, but the meanings
are different.

Some signs begin and end in the same location, while other change location from beginning to end and the
sign illustration indicates this. In this book, line thickness is used to distinguish the position of the arms and
hands at the beginning of the sign's motion from that at the end of the sign's motion. If the lines of the arms
and hands are thin, they indicate the placement of the arms and hands at the beginning of the sign. If, at a
different place in the drawing, the lines of the arms and hands are thick, they indicate the placement of the
arms and hands at the end of the movement. Here are some examples of signs with movement indicated by
line thickness.

MM

If you are able to indentify and evaluate the four parameters of a sign, your ability to use sign illustrations as a
learning tool will be increased.

xi
INTRODUCTION

ASL ILLUSTRATION CONVENTIONS

All sign illustrations depict a right-handed signer. Imagine that the person in the illustration is facing you.
For a right-handed reader to copy a sign illustration, remember that the hand in the illustration will appear
opposite of the way you will need to make the sign. For a left-handed signer, the illustration can be used as
a mirror image.

The order in which you read sign illustrations and phrases that have multiple illustrations is very important.
Words or phrases that contain multiple illustrations need to be read illustration by illustration from left to
right. Individual illustrations then need to be read according to the direction or movement of the sign shown.

The following examples show vocabulary with multiple illustrations.

3,535

THE VIDEOTAPE NUMBER SIGNS FOR EVERYONE

The chapters and sections of this book are set up to coincide with the topics and order of the videotape
Number Signs for Everyone. Although the signs included here and in the video are not identical, the content
is similar. This book and the video have been designed to reinforce each other and both have special features
and capabilities that are unique and valuable to the learning process.

Afinal note to the reader. ASL is a dynamic, ever growing and changing language. The signs you see in this
book are intended to give a person learning ASL basic information about the number sign system. In the
signing community you will see other variations of number signs, but, after studying the illustrations here you
will be well on your way to mastering numbers and their use in context in ASL.

xii
 CHAPTER 1
HOW MANY
•
C ARDINAL numbers are used to describe quantities: 1 shoe, 2 trees, 3 lbs of
flour. ASL uses cardinal numbers for counting and expressing quantities. The
ASL number system is based on whole numbers in units of 10.

NUMBERS 0-10 ID
Zero, and the basic signs for counting from 1to 10 are shown here (note that numbers 1through 5have the
palm facing inward toward the signer; 0, and 6 through 9 have the palm facing outward).

5 7

1
 CHAPTER 1

Dl NUMBERS 11-30
The following signs are for numbers 11 through 30. Note the variations in palm orientation here. The
signs for 16 through 19 begin with the 10 handshape, and end with the hand twisting outward to form the
sign for 6, 7, 8, or 9. The signs for 20 through 29, except 22, use a different handshape, an L-handshape
to represent 2.

11 12 13

15

17 18 19

20 21 22
2
 HOW MANY

23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30

NUMBERS 31-109, AND MULTIPLES OF 100 Ill

This section presents sign illustrations for numbers 31 through 109. Special attention should be paid to
multiples of 11 (22, 33, 44, etc.). When these numbers are signed, the same number is repeated, with the
handshape bouncing twice. Another unique group of signs comprises two-digit combinations using the
numbers 6, 7, 8, and 9 (such as 68, 76, or 97). The signs have a twisting movement to emphasize and clarify
the position of the thumb as it shifts from one fingertip to the other, creating the number combination
required. Notice the numbers 101-109 are handled so the 0is clearly shown. Additionally, illustrations for
200, 300, and 400 through 900 are shown.

31 33
3
CHAPTER 1

36 37 38

39 40 41 42

43

47 48 49 50
4
 HOW MANY

51 52 53 54

55 56 57 58

59 60 61 62

63 64 65 66
5
CHAPTER 1

68 69 70

71 72 73 74

75 76 77

79 80 82

6
 HOW MANY

83

87 88 89 90

91 92 93 94

95 98

7
CHAPTER 1

99 100 101 102

103 104 105 106

107 108 109 200

300 400 500

8
 HOW MANY

EMPHASIS Ill
Number signs include emphasis, which adds context to ASL sentences by showing whether the person signing feels
the quantity they are discussing is normal or exceptional. The following illustrations use a sharp singular motion
and facial expressions to show emphasis. In ASL, sign formations often lose repetition of movement when they
are emphasized.

200 300 400 500

LARGE NUMBERS AND MIXED NUMBERS

Here illustrations of larger numbers, such as 1,000 to 1billion, and mixed numbers are shown. Mixed numbers
ID
are signed in parts as in three hundred, sixty-five, not three, six, five.

1,000 10,000 50,000

9
CHAPTER 1

100,000 1 million 2 billion

110 625 770 875

1,300 2,360

3,535 4,910

10
 HOW MANY

APPROXIMATIONS Ill
Sometimes it is useful or necessary to express an approximate number. There are several ways of doing this
in ASL. One is to sign the number, but add afacial expression indicating that you are not sure of the exact
amount. Another is to add a sign indicating that you are estimating, or add awiggling motion.

50-something around 100

between 30 and 40 50/50

approximately 30 and 40 pictures

around 200 around 300 around 400 around 500

11
 CHAPTER 1

IIJ NUMBER REPRESENTATION

Number representation is an important part of ASL structure. These signs use a number handshape with
modified motion or location, or a noun to express a meaning.

number of baby teeth double date 4 couples together

1 person moving 1 person approaching 2 people 5 people approaching

2 of us 2 of them 3 of us

4 of us 5 of you 6 of us all of us
12
 j

HOW MANY

QUANTIFIERS
So far, we have been using numbers to express absolute quantities, that is, amounts that can be understood
Ill
correctly out of context. In addition to absolute numbers, ASL has another kind of sign for showing quantity
using quantifiers. Quantifiers represent attributes of things in a relative sense, rather than discussing exact
amounts with whole numbers. Words like many, more, and few are examples of generic quantifiers.

any

many some few none

list hordes traffic

stack crowd all kinds/variety nothing left

13
CHAPTER 1

cleared out limit maximum minimum

Phrases using Quantifiers

How many?

Thirty people came.

Six people are in the car.

14
 HOW MANY

I have rows of shoes.

I gave a book to both of you.

I assume 2 cars left, one following the other.

I have a whole shelf of books.

15
CHAPTER 1

Do you have children?

No, I don't have any children.

How many brothers and sisters do you have?

I have 2 brothers and 1 sister.

•
16
 CHAPTER 2
MONEY
•
M ONEY is a part of everyday life. The following examples of number signs for monetary
values show the basic signs for dollars and cents and show phrases using money signs.

CENTS
Cents are the smallest monetary value in ASL. The following are various quantities of cents. Notice that
25 cents uses a common variation of the number 25.
ID

1¢ 3¢ 5¢

10¢ 15¢ 20¢ 25¢

50¢ 55¢ 60¢

17
 CHAPTER 2

65¢ 70¢ 75¢

80¢ 85¢ 90¢ 95¢

Ill FINGERSPELLING CENTS

You can also sign a number and fingerspell the word "C-E-N-T-S" to show the amount. Remember, if the
amount is a number from 1to 5, you sign the number with your palm facing toward your body, and then turn
your hand palm-outward to fingerspell cents.

5 c-e-n-t-s 46 c-e-n-t-s

18
 MONEY

DOLLARS Ill
Following are various signs for dollar values. With dollar numbers 1through 9you do not separate the
number and dollar sign; you use the number handshape with a twisting motion to indicate dollars. For
numbers 10 or greater the signs change. The signs for numbers and dollars are separated.

$1.00 $2.00 $3.00 $5.00

$7.00 $10.00

$15.00 $80.00

19
 CHAPTER 2

Ill MIXED MONEY SIGNS

The previous rules for signing dollars and cents apply to mixed monetatyvalues such as $10.25. In English,
people may say "ten twenty-five" when discussing cost. For mixed money signs in ASL with 10 dollars or greater,
the signs for dollars and sign for cents are sometimes lost when incorporated in a sentence. The samples below
show mixed money signs.

$3.50 $4.95

$5.33

$10.25

20
 MONEY

APPROXIMATE MONEY SIGNS Ill

Sometimes, we do not know, or it is not important, exactly how many cents are involved. The next sign shows
how to approximate a monetary value.

7 dollars and some odd cents

Phrases Using Money Signs

How much? How much?

How much is the admission fee? It's $3.00.

21
CHAPTER 2

How much is the camera worth?

It's nice . . . it's worth 80 dollars and 46 c-e-n-t-s.

It's cheap! It costs $9.05 plus tax.

22
 CHAPTER 8

T
FINANCES
. .-------------------
HIS chapter focuses on vocabulary related to money. Examples of phrases using the
vocabulary in the proper context are given.

PAYMENT AND SPENDING Ill

pay out-of-pocket expense continuously paying (from pocket)

pay off pay in full cash charge (credit card)

down payment mortgage monthly payment/rent deduct

23
CHAPTER 8

debt/owe write a check

bill to me bill to them treat

Phrases Using Payment Signs

How did you pay for the house you bought?

I paid in full!

24
 FINANCES

INCOME Ill

extra income/dividend profit reimburse

increase in value royalty/pension

lots of money earnings salary

receive a big cash lump sum come out of the red

25
 CHAPTER 8

Phrases Using Income Signs

Does your job pay well?

I make good money!

IIJ LOSSES

bankrupt/broke repossess decrease in value

heavy debt lose money/loss lose everything

26
 FINANCES

foreclosure

citation embezzle

FINANCE-RELATED SIGNS Ill

bank ATM loan savings

deposit interest rate

27
CHAPTER 8

stock/invest buy shares

CD auction

Phrases Using Finance-Related Signs

What do you do with your money?

Put it in my savings or CD's.

28
 FINANCES

FINANCE-RELATED OCCUPATIONS
Most of the signs in this next group are compounds of averb sign for the activity plus a sign that is often
translated as "-er" to indicate that an occupation is being discussed.

accountant/auditor bookkeeper

treasurer loan officer

CEO CPA

29
CHAPTER 3

30
 CHAPTER 4
MEASUREMENTS
•
N UMBERS are not only used for counting, but also for measuring, comparing,
and otherwise commenting on quantity. This chapter shows number signs that
give information about "how much" and "how many."

NUMERICAL SIGNS SHOWING QUANTITY AND FREQUENCY Dl

ASL has a common pattern from once all the way up to five times, using the corresponding
handshape for the numbers 1 to 5. Notice in the following sign illustrations how the different
numeric handshapes use different fingertips in contact with the base hand to begin the sign.

twice/double 3 times/triple 4 times/quadruple

5 times/quintuple 10 times 1 more

1 more 2 more 2 more

31
 CHAPTER 4

3 more 3 more
Phrase Using Quantity and Frequency Signs

Ill QUANTIFIERS
As seen in Chapter 1, Section 8, a quantifier is a word like "all" or "some" that indicates the
quantity of something without using an absolute number. The following signs are quantifiers that
specifically discuss measurement.

too much/a lot too much

plenty enough few

32
 MEASUREMENTS

not enough many a bit

Phrases Using Quantifier Signs

Just a bit more.

FRACTIONS Ill
ASL uses space to indicate a fraction, signing the upper number (the numerator), and then dropping the hand
slightly and signing the lower number (the denominator). Fractions where both the numerator and the
denominator are single digi~, for example, 112, 113, 1/4, and up to 3/9, 4/9, and 519 are made with the palm
facing in toward the signer for both digi~. Here are some common fractions.

1/2 1/4

1/8 1/16
33
CHAPTER 4

318 5/8 7/8

Half
Following are signs for half. One follows the simple pattern described previously to make the
fraction 1/2. The second shows a two-handed sign, translated as "1/2 for you, and 1/2 for me."
The third is a special sign based on the verb cut in half and does not incorporate any numbers.

1/2 1/2 for you, 1/2 for me half/split

half and half 50/50

half French, half Italian

34
 MEASUREMENTS

BODY MEASUREMENTS Ill

Height and other body measurements such as dress size are shown here. One important note in
expressing a person's height in ASL is that the numbers are signed with the palm facing toward the
signer. As the handshape changes from expressing number of feet to number of inches, the hand
moves sharply in the direction of the thumb-side of the hand (that is, to the right if you are right-
handed and to the left if you are left-handed).

bust 36 hip 34

waist 34
Size

shoe size 10

dress size between 9 and 11

35
CHAPTER 4

Height

4'11" 5'5"

short medium tall

What is your height?

Other Measurements
Length, volume, weight, and temperature are expressed as a counting number or a fraction,
followed by the unit of measurement. The units of measurement are most often fingerspelled
abbreviations of the English equivalents, rather than sign translations. For example, "one foot"
is signed 1Jt, rather than 1 foot.

1 foot
36
 MEASUREMENTS

1 meter 1 yard

2 millimeter 1 centimeter kilometer

2 mm long

50-foot tall flag

8-foot 2 x 4 board
37
CHAPTER 4

1/4 tablespoon 2/3 cup

pint 2 quarts

1 gallon milliliter 4liters

1/2 tsp equals 2.5 ml

weight 1 gram pound

38
 MEASUREMENTS

hearing 75 dB in my right ear, 80 in my left 20/20 vision

small cup medium cup

39
 CHAPTER 4

Ill VEHICLE-RELATED AND COMPUTER-RELATED SIGNS

Fingerspelled abbreviations such as m-p-h and r-p-m are commonly used in conjunction with
numbers to convey vehicle-related information.

mph (miles per hour) over 70 mph mpg (miles per gallon)

rpm (revolutions per minute) 875 cc (cubic centimeters)

hp (horsepower) psi (tire pressure)

4 cylinders V-6 V-8

40
 MEASUREMENTS

Phrases Using Vehicle Signs

It is a 65 horsepower engine. It's a gas guzzler.

My car's mileage is now over 100,000.

The next signs show numbers with abbreviations for high-tech computer concepts, such as mb
for "megabytes."

100 K (kilobyte)

20mb (megabytes) 25 mhz (megahertz)

----+.

41
 CHAPTER 5
HOW LONG
•
T HIS chapter discusses the ways to sign time units. For most units of time in ASL there is
a Rule of Nine, where any number from 1 to 9 is incorporated into the sign for the time
unit. For example, two minutes incorporates the handshape for two into the sign for
minute. For numbers 10 and greater, the number is signed and then the singular sign for
the time unit is signed separately.

SECONDS
Second is most often fingerspelled as S-E-C.
Ill

3 s-e-c

MINUTES, HOURS, DAYS, WEEKS, AND MONTHS Ill

The sign for minutes follows the Rule of Nine, but signers may optionally fingerspell it as M-1-N. Following
are several examples of signing minutes.

3 minutes

43
CHAPTER 6

15 minutes 20 minutes

The sign for hour follows the Rule of Nine. Following are examples of ways to sign hour.

1/2 hour

1 hour 2 hours

4 hours 5 hours 24 hours

44
 HOW LONG

Here are examples of day.

1 day 3 days

17 days

Week follows the Rule of Nine. Here are sign examples using week.

1 week 2 weeks

7 weeks 27 weeks

45
 CHAPTER 5

The sign for month also follows the Rule of Nine. Here are examples of month.

1 month 4 months

18 months 36 months

Ill YEARS
Year does not use the Rule of Nine. Here are examples of year.

1 year

2 1/2 years 7 years

46
 HOW LONG

DURATION
Signing time units in terms of duration shows how long something lasts. In English, it is possible to convey
a feeling of normal length, "it lasted an hour," or express that an event felt as if it took a long time, "it lasted
an hour." Emphatic forms of signs using motion and expression convey this same meaning. Following are
examples of signs for time that show duration.

1 whole hour 7long hours

3 whole days 3long weeks 7 weeks!

1 whole month 4 long months

47
CHAPTER 5

Phrases Using Time Duration Signs

I drove and drove for 3 days.

I waited and waited for 15 minutes!

I was sick for 3 weeks!

How long have you worked for that company?

48
 HOW LONG

How long have you two been married?

We've been married for 20 years!

Other Time Vocabulary

all day all afternoon

all evening year-round/all year

49
CHAPTER 5

quarter semester

infinity continuous

50
 CHAPTER 6
HOW OFTEN
•
W HEN something happens at regular intervals, it can be described as occurring, for
example, "every hour" or "every two hours." ASL expresses these meanings with
special signs, based on a number handshape, a time unit, and repeated movement

NUMERICAL TIME FREQUENCY SIGNS Ill

One week is a period of time, and the repetition of the sign 1 week shows that something happens ''weekly''
or "every week." The signs that follow show how to combine the elements of a number handshape, time unit,
and movement when talking about frequency.

every 2 minutes every 1/2 hour every 4 hours

everyday every Monday every 5 days

51
CHAPTER I

once a week every week every 2 weeks

once a month every 2 months

once a year every year

twice a year 4 times a year

every 5 years every 8 years

52
 HOW OFTEN

Phrases Using Time Frequency Signs

How often?

I take medication every 4 hours.

I tend to go out to eat every other week.

I call my mother once a month.

53
 CHAPTER G

The meeting occurs twice a year.

Presidential elections are held every 4 years.

Ill OTHER FREQUENCY SIGNS

Some signs that discuss frequency do not use a combination of number handshape, time sign, and repeated
movements. These signs describe frequency in more general terms like "always."

always daily

sometimes once in a while never

54
 HOW OFTEN

first time many times

regularly every other weekend

Other Phrases Using Time Frequency Signs

I work 9 to 5 daily.

I've seen that many times.

• 55
 CHAPTER 7

I
-------------------
WHEN
.
F you ask someone when an event occurred, the answer could contain a time, a date, or
both. The information in this chapter deals with times and dates and explains ASL's
physical timeline.

SIGNS FOR TELLING TIME Ill

Signs for telling time ("1 o'clock," "2 o'clock") are made up of a version of the sign time plus a number sign
from 1to 12.
When signing 1 o'clock through 5 o'clock, remember that this is an instance in which the first five numbers
appear palm-outward.

6:00 7:00

57
 CHAPTER 1

9:00 10:00

11:30 12:05

Ill TIME ESTIMATES

When it is necessary to express an approximate time, facial expression or a sign that suggests something will
happen "around" 2 o'clock is used.

around 8 o'clock
58
 WHEN

Phrases Using Time Signs

What is the best time to go?

At 2:00.

On Friday afternoon at 2:00.

Between 10:00 and 11:00.

59
CHAPTER 7

What time in the morning do you usually get up?

I get up at 7 am every morning.

What time do you work?

I work from 10 am to 3 pm.

60
 WHEN

THE TIMELINE IN ASL Ill

One of the most important uses of space in ASL can be found in the relation of physical space to time. The
physical timeline created in ASL has standard locations for the past, the present, and the future. The past is the
area behind the signer. Signs such as yesterday and last week reflect that the area behind the signer
represents the past. The future is the area moving out away from the signer. Forward movement in signs such
as will,juture, tomorrow, and next week reflect that the area in front of the signer represents the future. The
space directly in front and close to the signer represents the present, as seen in the sign now.

Past

1 minute ago 2 minutes ago

5 minutes ago 30 minutes ago

1 hour ago 1 hour ago

61
CHAPTER 7

6 hours ago 24 hours ago

yesterday 2 days ago

3 days ago

1 week ago (last week) 2 weeks ago

12 weeks ago
62
 WHEN

8 months ago

last year last year

2 years ago 3 years ago

4 years ago 4 years ago

6 years ago
63
CHAPTER 7

Future

future in few days

4 weeks from now

in 7 weeks next month

next 3 months next 8 months

64
 WHEN

next 10 months

in 11 months

in 2 years

8 years from now

65
CHAPTER 7

Phrases Using Signs and the Physical Space Timeline

She already left a minute ago.

I just arrived 5 minutes ago.

It will start in 15 minutes.

We'll get it in 2 weeks.

66
 WHEN

YEAR AND DATE SIGNS Ill

Years are most often signed as two digit numbers. Nineteen seventy-six is signed 19 for the first two digits, 76
for the second two digits. In years where the second two digits are within the range of 01-09 the zero is
emphasized for clarity. Signs for even century years vary depending on context. If speaking generally, the sign
for the double zero is the sign for hundred. If speaking specifically, the double zero is emphasized.

2000 2000

1776 1805 2002

Approximate Signs for Years

thereabout 1921 1950s

67
CHAPTER 7

Specific dates with month, day, and year in ASL are easy to sign. First, fingerspell the month (some months are
commonly signed as abbreviations):
j-A-N F-E-B M-A-R-C-H A-P-R-1-L M-A-Y j-U-N-E
j-U-L-Y A-U-G S-E-P-T 0-C-T N-0-V D-E-C
The day of the month is expressed as an ordinal number if it is the first through the ninth day of the month,
for instance j-A-N second or N-0-Vninth. For dates of the tenth through the thirty-first day of the month, a
cardinal or counting number is used; for example,]-u-1-y fourteen is proper in ASL, and the English
equivalent is "July fourteenth."

December 3, 1955

November 8, 2000

1865-1877

1910 to 1983
68 •
 CHAPTER 8
AGE
•
W HEN someone is asked how old they are, they will answer by telling their age.
In ASL age is expressed by combining the movement and location of the sign
"old" with the number of years. When talking about age, the numbers 1 through
5 face palm-outward, unlike when counting. Pay careful attention to how the
various handshapes touch the chin in the following age signs.

AGE Ill

1 year old 3 years old

r
4 years old 5 years old 6 years old

7 years old 8 years old 9 years old

69
CHAPTER 8

10 years old 11 years old 15 years old

18 years old 19 years old 20 years old

25 years old 34 years old 40 years old

65 years old 8 months old

70
 AGE

Ages Signed with Emphasis

40 years old! 80 years old!

Approximate Signs for Ages

around 30 years old in his/her 50s

Phrases Using Age Signs

How old is that bread?

5 days old.
71
CHAPTER 8

The baby is 8 months old.

My oldest child is now 15 years old.

How old were you when you first flew?

I was 40 years old.

72
 AGE

How old were you when you started reading?

I was 3 years old.

73
 CHAPTER 8

W
----------------~
SPORTS
. ~----------------

HEN discussing sports, numbers are used to give information about scores, placement,
and players' jersey numbers. Following are both number signs and signs for additional
vocabulary related to sports.

SPORTS-RELATED VOCABULARY ID
Baseball

baseball

1st base 2nd base 3rd base

single double triple

75
CHAPTER 8

hit home run grand slam

2nd inning
Football

football

half time down

point overtime
76
 SPORTS

Track

track

100m 10 seconds flat

Jersey Numbers

number 9

number 12

number 35
77
 CHAPTER 9

Ill PLACEMENT AND SCORES

In ASL, ordinal numbers with a horizontal movement to indicate place are used to express who wins a
competition or ahow a person or team has finished.

1st 2nd 3rd

5th 7th 9th

1st heat 2nd heat

eighth ninth

78
 SPORTS

Phrases About Placement and Scores

What is the score? The second team won 5 to 2.

Did you win? I finished third.

Signs about teams and their scores use space to represent one team against another.

my team 3, their team 5 score 3 to 0

79
CHAPTER 8

tie game tied 2 to 2

tied 4 to 4 11 to 9

my team 5, their team 0 win-loss record 15-0

blowout shutout

80
•
 CHAPTER 10
WHERE, WHICH
•
T HIS chapter includes vocabulary for describing specifics, such as where to find a
particular book, which hat you prefer, and the address of your favorite restaurant

LOCATION
Numbers used to locate an object, such as a book on a particular shelf of a bookcase, or a specific car in a
parking lot combine ASL's use of physical space with ordinal number signs. Spatial patterns are used to
describe locations. 1\vo patterns that occur frequently are (1) a straight-downward pattern, in which each
item is on a different line, like shelves in a bookcase that are stacked one below the other, and (2) a straight-
sideways pattern, similar to a row of books on a shelf or to cars in one aisle of a parking lot. The following
signed locations give the physical location that tells you where and the ordinal number that describes which.

first shelf fourth drawer down below

eighth hat up there

81
CHAPTER 10

fifth door to the right

third car

downstairs on the second floor

82
 WHERE, WHICH

PLACES llll
The following signs show how to describe locations by street names. In numbered street names, there is an
important difference between English and ASL. English uses ordinal numbers, such as "22nd Street"
or "35th Avenue" for numbered streets. ASL more often uses a cardinal (counting) number sign for
numbered streets above "Ninth," for example, Twenty-two Street or Thirty-five A-V-E. Note that these are
names nonetheless and the "nd" or "th" part of the street name that English speakers pronounce is
understood in ASL without adding the ordinal information.

the intersection of 5th and Washington

22nd Street and 35th Avenue

RANK OR ORDER IN FAMILY

When discussing family, it is common to talk about siblings and yourself in terms of birth order, who was born
first, second, third, and so on. Asigner represents the number of people being discussed on one hand,
showing by number how many people are involved, and then explains their order from the thumb (first in
order) on down. This method of describing order is not limited to the family, however, the following signs are
examples of rank or order in the family. Also shown are signs for twin and only child.

twin only child

83
CHAPTER 10
Phrases Showing Order in Family

She is an only child.

I am the second of 3 children.

I am the sixth child of 7 children.

Out of 8 brothers and sisters, I am the last child born.

My son is the third of my 5 children.

84
 WHERE, WHICH

ORDINAL NUMBERS ID
As shown in previous chapters, ordinal numbers explain the position of something in an ordered set or group.
Following are ASL's basic signs for ordinal numbers that show placement, rank, or order.

1st 2nd 3rd

4th 5th 6th

lOth 15th

20th 110th
85
CHAPTER 10

Phrases for Sequence of Events

What did you do first?

What did you do first?

first second third

86
 CHAPTER 11
PERSONAL NUMBERS
•
N UMBERS are often used to give information; addresses, phone numbers, and social
security numbers are all numbers that people use in their personal lives.

IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS 1111

Personal identification numbers do not represent quantities and are therefore signed differently than
quantitative numbers. For example, a TTY number or a street address is signed more like a fingerspelled
word. The street number "1524" would be signed as 1-5-2-4, rather than as one thousandfive hundred
twentyfour. In this case, the numbers 1through 5are signed palm-out, not palm-inward as in counting. In
ASL, it is also possible to combine two-digit groups, so "1524" can be signed fifteen twenty-four. The two
signs appear as regular ASL number signs, as shown in Chapter 1.

Phone Numbers

716-3929

(m number) 482-3006

87
CHAPTER 11

Social Security Numbers

163-10-9119

309-77-082 5

Addresses

address 34518 Taos Road

2341 Pine Street

88
 PERSONAL NUMBERS

SIGNS FOR SPECIFIC THINGS 1111

Ordinal numbers with a wiggling movement are used in ASL when discussing one-digit room numbers, 1V
channels, or highway numbers.

Which channel is it?

It's channel 7.

It's Room 5.

Highway 1 1-5

_ _____. • +-----
89
 CHAPTER 12

T
SCIENTIFIC NUMBERS
------------------~ .
HE following are examples of vocabulary used in math and science. Mathematical and
chemical formulas, which are often written with superscript and subscript numbers, are
usually signed in ASL so their spatial layout is reflected.

SCIENTIFIC NUMBERS Ill

scientific number math

numbers equal left

subtract multiply divide

91
CHAPTER 12

estimate/guess figure average percentage

greater than less than

even number odd number

algebra geometry trigonometry calculus

angle perpendicular formula

92
 SCIENTIFIC NUMBERS

square root square root

Phrases Using Scientific Number Signs

Do you like math?

Three and 9 is 12. Four times 8 equals 32.

Eleven and 9, adds up to 20. Two times 2 is how many?

93
CHAPTER 12

Ten minus 1 equals 9.

Twelve divided by 2 equals what?

Twelve divided by 2 is how many?

94
 SCIENTIFIC NUMBERS

chemistry

----+.

95
·N· ,,
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NOTES
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