Beginner II

The Old Lion and the Fox

Watch the fable, "The Old Lion and the Fox" (2009) in American Sign Language (ASL).

English translation

An old lion sat under the cave. He was so old that his teeth and claws were worn out that he no longer could get food, unlike in his young days. What could he do? He had gotten an idea.

The lion let all his neighbors know that he was very sick and old that his neighbours could visit him. As each animal came to visit him, the lion ate them up one by one.

A fox also came to visit the lion, but this time he stood at a safe distance from the lion. The lion said, "I am very pleased to see you." But, as the fox was cautious, he politely inquired, "How is your health?"

The lion replied, "Oh, I am very ill, badly sick. Oh, come closer, come here."

The fox kindly said, "Thank you for the invitation. But, I have noticed that there are many footprints leading into your cave. Where are the footprints coming out from your cave?"

ASL storytelling
Illustration by Milo Winter, 1919.

Morals

"Take warning from the misfortunes of others." -- The Aesop for Children

Grammar tips

Learn a few grammar tips from the story.

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Related posts

More stories? Check out The Cock and the Diamond: Aesop fable storytelling in ASL.

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New to sign language? "Where do I start?" or "How do I start learning sign language?" This ASL Rookie guide lists some selected links to the tutorials for ASL beginners to get started and keep rolling. It may be a useful review for intermediate-level learners and ASL students as well.

Some tutorial pages are a mix of free and premium versions. Access to premium content and links below are available in the PatronPlus subscription. More links/posts will be added from time to time.

Jump-starting

  1. How to fingerspell ABCs
  2. What is and what is not sign language?

Getting started

  1. Benefits of learning sign language
  2. Awareness quiz and Reflections
  3. Basic transcription symbols (glosses)

Language/Culture Fundamentals

  1. What is American Sign Language?
  2. Understanding variations
  3. Introducing audism
  4. Cultural appropriation

Learning first words

  1. Expressing greetings
  2. Introducing oneself and others
  3. Fingerspelling exercise
  4. Expressing goodbyes

ASL Basics

  1. Personal Pronouns
  2. Possessive Pronouns
  3. WH-questions
  4. Yes/no questions
  5. SVO sentence structure
  6. OSV sentence structure
  7. Numbers 1-10+
  8. Basic time: future, present, past

ASL Basics II

  1. Asking what the sign is for a word
  2. Spatial referencing
  3. Verb inflections
  4. Contrastive structure
  5. Listing and Ranking
  6. Classifier basics

Describing shapes

  1. Describing shapes + perspective
  2. Describing shapes + locations
  3. Describing shapes + sizes

Expressing needs and wants

  1. Making commands or requests

Talking about family

  1. Talking about family and pet
  2. Telling age
  3. Telling date

Making basic plans

  1. Review basic tenses
  2. Calendar: DAYS
  3. Calendar: MONTHS
  4. Transportation: basics

Shopping

  1. Telling prices in dollars and cents

Talking about activities

  1. Frequency of time: how often?

Are you able to carry everyday conversations in ASL? Are you a student in the intermediate levels and beyond, who wishes to boost up your signing skills? You've come to the selected tutorial series. (Some premium content are available to PatronPlus membership.)

Language and communication

Sentence types

Non-manual signals

Tenses

Numbers

Classifier classes

Describing

Stories, poems, performance arts, etc. in sign language.

Fables

Fables II

Poem Translations

Stories

Deaf Jokes

Parables

Performance and video arts

Techniques and Devices

This documentation project follows a child's language acquisition, literacy development, and phonological acquisition in sign language, specifically ASL, from newborn to age five in a natural native-ASL environment and visual culture.

Language development

Baby Signing

Toddler Signing

Preschooler and Kinder

From baby to preschooler