Signs for COUGH

Meaning: To expel air from the lungs suddenly with a harsh noise, often involuntarily.

Sign variation.

Deaf Culture and tidbits

Deaf Art, Criticism and Theory

Context: "My live performance 'Ameslan, coughing English, Ameslan', originally took place in a graduate class at NSCAD University in September 2005. I performed in the recessed niche of a white wall (representing a white paper) in black attire (representing text)."

"The first, introductory part of this performance was a poetic text in Ameslan. In the second part, the performance turned into signed English, which led to a choppy monotony before I began to cough and broke into the third part in Ameslan."

ASL, Coughing English, ASL
"ASL, Coughing English, ASL" (2006). Photo by Jolanta Lapiak

Artist Statement: "This performance is an analog to what Alan Watts describes the following: 'Alphabetic writing is a representation of sound, whereas the [Chinese] ideogram represents vision and, furthermore, represents the world directly.' Watts believed that it would be a disaster to 'rationalize' Chinese by introducing the phonetic alphabet to Chinese speakers/writers. Likewise, oppressing Deaf Ameslan children into using Sign English or Sign Exact English (SEE) would be as absurd as coercing Chinese people into writing Chinese characters in English grammar, as illustrated in the the middle part of my performance. It is more realistic for Deaf Ameslan children to be naturally bilingual, learning both English and Ameslan/ASL."

"Deaf children, who are taught Signed English, nevertheless would inevitably shift into its grammar, as illustrated in the coughing part of my performance. Elissa Newport and Sam Supalla, in their research studies describe that, 'children construct grammatically perfect ASL even when they are exposed (as they so often are) to somewhat less than - perfect ASL - a clear illustration of an innate grammatical competence in the brain.'" (Sacks p 111) -- excerpted from Jolanta Lapiak's thesis statement.

Ad-free Patron: To remove ads or/and unlock premium content, subscribe today or learn more about the features.

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

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.