SIT in sign language

"How do you sign 'sit' in American Sign Language?"

ASL sign for SIT

Meaning: To rest with the torso vertical or upright and the body supported on the buttocks which rest on a chair, the ground, etc. Also "take a chair".

Pronunciation (sign description): Dominant "H" hand, palm down, held in space just above non-dominant "H" palm-down hand, moves onto the top of the fingers of the base hand.

Learner tip: Be aware of the noun-verb pair by the movement of the signs for SIT or SIT-DOWN (a single, slightly longer movement for this verb) and CHAIR (a couple of shorter movements for this noun). Though, CHAIR has a slightly different (bent-V) handshape.

Phrases

sit down:

Meaning: to sit down on a chair (bench, sofa, or another).

If you happen to see an ASL speaker signing more than one movement in a particular context, it's a plural verb (for example, telling everyone to sit down -- glossed as SIT-DOWN++++). Perhaps, it's likely found in a classroom where a teacher tells deaf children to sit down.

Vocabulary

Related signs: CHAIR, PERCH, CROUCH, SQUAT, SEAT, SLOUCH, LOUNGE, KNEEL.

Antonym: STAND, RISE, GET UP.