D in sign language

There are different manual alphabets around the world. Some signed languages, that are distinct of their own, may share the similar manual alphabets. Sign language alphabets are used for fingerspelling a foreign word of a spoken/written language as well as people's names.

D letter in ASL alphabet

Here is the D letter in American Sign Language.

Definition: The fourth letter of the alphabet in English and American manual alphabet; a consonant.

Pronunciation (sign description): The fingertips of the middle finger, ring finger, pinkie, and the thumb are in contact with the hollow inside while the index finger is upright. The palm of this D handshape faces left if dominantly right-handed.

Baby signing the D letter

In general, gestural pointing with index finger may emerge at about 7-9 months or so, regardless of deaf or hearing babies. It doesn't matter if kids sign or not. Gestural pointing is not the same as linguistic pointing pronouns which emerge at about 18 months to 24 months (the same timeline as pronouns in spoken languages).

In my documentation of a case study of bilingual ASL-speaking baby/toddler Juli, the index finger or "1" handshape emerged at 9 months in gestural pointing, then in ASL words at 15-16 months. The "D" form emerged at 22 months as a standalone as in letter D; though, few ASL words come with the "D" handshape.

Again, as always a reminder, children develop at different pace; although timelines are generally consistent across modalities (signed and spoken).

Other manual alphabets

The two-handed British manual alphabet is part of the British Sign Language (BSL) -- the language of the Deaf people in the U.K. as well as Australian Sign Language (Auslan) and New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL).

D letter in BSL

In the BSL alphabet, the letter D is formed by using the dominant hand of "baby C" with the fingertips of the curled index finger and curved thumb on the the non-dominant upright "1" handshape.

Unlike BSL, NZSL, and Auslan, American Sign Language (ASL) is descended from Old French Sign Language (Old LSD) in the early 19th century. Today, modern ASL and modern LSF are different; although, LSF and ASL share similar manual alphabet. If American signers and French signers try to fingerspell a word of either French or English, both of them would need to know that common spoken language other than their signed languages.

As for the Asian languages such as Chinese Sign Language (CSL) and Japanese Sign Language (JSL), Deaf signers use the "syllabary" to depict visual representations of written Chinese characters.

Related links

Previous letter: C and next letter E.

ALPHABET, LETTER.

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 letter D

Written ASL digit for the alphabetical letter D. [Contributed by ASLwrite, 2019]

~~ Feeling lucky? ¯\(°_o)/¯ Random word ~~

All
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

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.

Screenshot of dictionary search with notes — 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).

Videos: The first video may be NOT the answer you're looking for. There are several signs for different meanings, contexts, and/or variations. Browsing all the way down to the next search box is highly recommended.

Video speed: Signing too fast in the videos? See HELP in the footer.

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.