YEAR in sign language

How to sign "year" in American Sign Language (ASL)?

Meaning: a period of 365 or 366 days, in the Gregorian calendar, based on the Earth moving in its orbit around the Sun.

Formal citation (sign description): Dominant upright fist or "S" hand a bit above non-dominant upright fist moves forward around the base hand and then land on the top of the base.

Learner tip: Be sure that the movement is forward, not backward in circle. Signing backward is a common error production found in ASL learners.

Informal register. Now commonly used in both formal and informal settings (language evolution).

Plural form of YEAR: years; years and years; many years.

Captured an old ASL in the film "The Preservation of American Sign Language" filmed in 1913. The sign for plural YEARS signed by George Veditz is different from today's production (different passive handshape).

Vocabulary

Related signs: year-round, YEARLY, NEW YEAR, next year, last year, leap year, BIYEARLY, AGE.

ASL language tutorial

Learn ASL: how to tell a year in calendar, including learning how to tell frequency in year terms.

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.]

ASL written for YEAR
YEAR

The vertical dash on the movement line is only an experimental concept for the forward movement.

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Search Tips and Pointers

Search/Filter: Enter a keyword in the filter/search 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.

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Screenshot of the search dictionary

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.

For best result, enter a short word in the search box, then select the alphetical letter (and page number if needed), and click on the blue link.

Screenshot of dictionary search with notes
Screenshot of the search dictionary

Don't forget to click "All" back when you search another word with a different initial letter.

If you cannot find (perhaps overlook) a word but you can still see a list of links, then keep looking until the links disappear! Sharpening your eye or maybe refine your alphabetical index skill. :)

Add a Word: This dictionary is not exhaustive; ASL signs are constantly added to the dictionary. If you don't find a word/sign, you can send your request (only if a single link doesn't show in the result).

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ASL has its own grammar and structure in sentences that works differently from English. For plurals, verb inflections, word order, etc., learn grammar in the "ASL Learn" section. For search in the dictionary, use the present-time verbs and base words. If you look for "said", look up the word "say". Likewise, if you look for an adjective word, try the noun or vice versa. E.g. The ASL signs for French and France are the same. If you look for a plural word, use a singular word.