LIE in sign language

How to sign "lie" in American Sign Language (ASL)? Plus anecdotes how Deaf parents know when their hearing kids lie.

ASL signs for "lie"

Either of the horizontal handshapes "1" or "B" is commonly used.

Meaning: To speak falsely or utter untruth knowingly, as with intent to deceive.

Pronunciation (sign description): Dominant horizontal "B" hand, palm-down, edge in contact with chin, slides across the chin.

This sign may be a noun or a plural verb, depending on the context and sentence. The plural sign may mean 1) lying more than once; 2) a tendency of lying, depending on the context and sentence-level meaning.

Meaning: To speak falsely or utter untruth knowingly, as with intent to deceive.

Pronunciation (sign description): Dominant horizontal "B" hand, palm-down, edge in contact with chin, briskly slides across the chin twice.

This plural sign may mean 1) lying more than once; 2) a tendency of lying, depending on the context and sentence-level meaning.

Related signs: DISHONEST.

Anecdotes

Many codas and dodas (hearing and deaf children of Deaf parents) tell anecdotes that their Deaf parents had a knack of reading their body language whether they were lying or not as well as using other ways.

One coda, who was frustrated that his Deaf parents were able to catch him lying easily when he was kid, now as a parent tried to read his hearing kid's body language the way his Deaf parents did, but weren't able to. So his hearing wife used the hearing way of checking "spots on your tongue".

Similarly, a Deaf parent told her little hearing kids that if they are lying, their ears would turn red, and they would cover their ears really quick.

Another coda told a story. Her parents had an alarm clock connected to the flashing light. They would set it for midnight which was the teenager's curfew to be home by then. The teenager came home around 10pm to turn off the alarm and went back out while the parents were asleep. But, she got caught when she came home around 2am."

"When my daughter used to close her bedroom door and bounce on bed. I went in and told her to stop. She asked how did I know. I told her 'Mommy's eyes are so powerful that I can see through doors and I know when you're bouncing on bed.' She believed. Years later, she grew up and she asked me how I always knew. I explained that our floors were wooden." Deaf people are sensitive to vibrations, much different from hearing people.

Usage/Grammar

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Written ASL

[Note: ASL writing is not an official standard. This sign language writing remains in a state of open space to allow room for experiment, evolution, and improvement.]

How to write ASL for LIE

Written ASL digit for LIE (as in dishonest). Horizontal handshape 1 across the chin. [Contributed by ASLwrite, 2017]

How to write ASL for LIE

Written ASL digit for LIE (as in dishonest). Horizontal handshape-15, palmed down, across the chin. [Contributed by ASLwrite, 2017]

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