MERIDIEM in sign language

The 24 hours of the day are divided into two periods: a.m. and p.m. The 24-hour clock also known as the military time is mostly used in the world, whereas the 12-hour clock is a time convention in North America.

ASL signs for a.m. and p.m.

How to sign "meridiem", "ante-meridiem (a.m.)", "post-meridiem (p.m.)", "12 hours" in American Sign Language (ASL)?

Meaning: twelve-hour.

ante meridiem (a.m.): before noon or from midnight until noon.

Although, ASL-speaking Deaf people usually express MORNING instead of "a.m." after telling time. We express this glossed as: TIME + [NUMBER] + MORNING.

post meridiem (p.m.) meaning: afternoon or after midday; time between noon and midnight.

Again, we usually sign AFTERNOON, EVENING, or NIGHT instead of "p.m." after telling time.

Related words

Vocabulary: TIME, NOON, MIDNIGHT.

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