Guess what the ASL word mean? See English translation Meaning: FORGIVE. Explore this word in the dictionary.
Sign language resource online at Handspeak® -- Search ASL Dictionary / ASL to English Reverse Dictionary / Browse Tutorials / Browse Phrases and Sentences / First 100+ Signs / ASL Alphabet / Fingerspelling Practice / Kids' ASL Wordbook and more. Download sign language app.
Created in 1995, HandSpeak® is a sign language and Deaf culture resource for college students and learners, language and culture enthusiasts, interpreters, homeschoolers, parents, and professionals across North America for language learning, practice and self-study.
Handwave! I'm Jolanta, the creator of this web app/site since 1995. Very long time, yes! I hope you will find this sign language resource and reference helpful with your language learning.
Filter: Enter a keyword in the filter field box to see a list of available words with the "All" selection. Click on the page number if needed. Click on the blue link to look up the word. For best result, enter a partial word to see variations of the word.
Alphabetical letters: It's useful for 1) a single-letter word (such as A, B, etc.) and 2) very short words (e.g. "to", "he", etc.) to narrow down the words and pages in the list.
Don't forget to click "All" back when you search another word with a different initial letter.
Guess what the ASL word mean? See English translation Meaning: FORGIVE. Explore this word in the dictionary.
What does it say? Hover over to see the word. Take me to the page.
Try fingerspelling practice to improve your receptive skill. New to fingerspelling? Learn the ASL alphabet.
Random pick of some stories, true stories, fables, parables, and poems.
Title: Synchronicity. This incredibly much loved story is a true story told in ASL about synchronicity with a series of coincidences. How possible?!
Browse some tutorials for grammar, article posts, etc.
2021 August 17: Glennis Matthews became the first Black Deaf female superintendent of a deaf school in the U.S. history. She became a superintendent of The Learning Center in Framingham, Massachusetts.
1924 August 10-17: Comite International des Sports des Sourds (CISS) was founded in Paris during the first World Games for the Deaf (now known as Deaflympics) from 10 to 17 August in Paris, France.
1999 August 17: The Royal Thai Government acknowledged Thai Sign Language as "the national language of deaf people in Thailand".
The video shows a baby signing the ASL word PLEASE in the early phonological development (handshape, location, and movement).
Browse Kids' ASL Wordbook including some time-lapse videos of baby signing the words.
A weekly sentence is available in PatronPlus subscription. To get started for a new learner, learn how to sign "How are you?".
Browse some more phrases and sentences that may give you some insights into how grammar, structure and meaning are constructed in ASL sign language and help you learn how to express them in ASL.
Does a name sign (in addition to the standard name) on a birth certificate exist?
The Deaf couple in U.K. decided to add their baby's name sign on their baby's birth certificate.
"In my nearly 40 years of life...I've yet to meet a single deaf person who was traumatized by sign language. Yet, I can't count how many were traumatized by mainstreamed and oral education."
-- Jeanine Gingras
The sign language site at Handspeak is one of few most reliable resources and references highly recommended by Deaf native signers, including ASL instructors.
Sign language is a natural, full-fledged language in visual-spatial modality. It has all linguistic features (from phonology to syntax) as found in spoken language. Like other languages, ASL has its regional variations.
There are different signed languages around the world. American Sign Language (ASL) is the primary language of Deaf people in Deaf communities and Deaf families across the U.S. and Canada. Deaf community comprises Deaf people, codas (children of Deaf parents), hard-of-hearing signers, and hearing signers and allies.
Bilingualism has a number of cognitive benefits. Find out what benefits are for learning sign language. In addition to the benefits of bilingualism, bimodalism and Deafhood also have some extra benefits.
Explore some ways on how to learn sign language.
To get started, learn the ABCs in ASL sign language alphabet.
Take a peek what the ASL number is: number.
Learn how to sign numbers 1 to 100.
Signed languages have their own grammar that are different from spoken languages. E.g. ASL and English are two independent languages with their own structure, grammar, vocabulary and so on.
Random grammar tip:
Palm faces in for cardinal numbers from one through five. Palm faces out for cardinal numbers from six through nine. Countring cardinal numbers
Where there is language, there is culture; sign language and Deaf culture are inseparable. Learning sign language and Deaf culture comes with the process of allyship along with awareness toward appreciation and away from cultural appropriation and audism (alliteration, yay!).