Signs for EYE

"Deaf people are first, last, and for all time, the people of the eye." -- George Veditz, 1913.

ASL signs for EYE

How do you sign "eye"?

Meaning: The organ of sight; the part of the body that you see with.

Pronunciation (sign description): Dominant forefinger taps under the eye twice.

Variation in some contexts, usually referring to the plural 'eyes'.

Pronunciation (sign description): Dominant forefinger points under the eye and then again other eye.

Q: "When signing "eye", which left or right eye do you start with for a right-handed signer?"

A: Oh, it reminds me of the sign DEAF when one debates about which direction does one pronounce DEAF. Yes, there is an answer. Start with the dominant side in general.

Related signs

When you were kid, you attempted to do CROSS-EYED. Or, when you take a red-eye flight, you probably end up with BLOODSHOT eyes. Hey, I see you EYE ROLL.

EYE CONTACT is very much part of Deaf way of life.

Related signs for the parts of an eye: EYEBALL (which you pay advertisers with your eyeballs for reading this free page), EYELASH (don't flirt), EYEBROW (which some ASL students have great difficulty with raising or lowering eyebrows as part of grammar), PUPIL (the hollow part of a soul), and maybe EYEGLASSES if you cannot read this word.

How Deaf people perceive with eyes

Deaf people perceive with eyes different from hearing people. It's not just the eyes, but it's to do with the plasticity of amazing brain!

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 EYE

Written ASL digit for "EYE" contributed by Adrean Clark in the ASLwrite community, 2018.

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