START in sign language

Guess you're coming to this page for two possible reasons -- one to learn how to sign "start" and another is to learn how to start learning American Sign Language as a foreign language? Which one? Now you want both, okay.

ASL signs for 'start'

For a starter, here shows you how to sign 'start'.

Meaning: To begin a movement, activity, or undertaking.

Pronunciation (sign description): Dominant horizontal forefinger with the palm down and its tip of the forefinger starts inside the curve between the forefinger and middle finger of the non-dominant hand whose palm is facing left (for right-handed) and fingers facing outward. The forefinger twists clockwise once at the wrist.

Note that there are several signs and classifiers associated with 'start' in ASL, but at least this sign is just a basic for beginners. As you learn ASL more after hundreds of hours, you will be able to convey different signs.

For example for a sentence "start a engine", sign this way:

Meaning: to cause (a machine or engine) to begin to work. E.g.: he started up the engine.

Related signs: BEGIN, COMMENCE.

Phrasal verb

Meaning: to begin to do something again from the beginning.

How to start learning sign language

Learners start learning sign language for different reasons whether to become an interpreter or to become a teacher of deaf students or to (manually) speak a new language with their deaf kids, or to converse with a deaf signers in Deaf community. Let's see which one clicks your gut.

Since you're already on this site, scroll down to the "Beginner" tab next to the Search tab. In this section, you can also browse lessons, Deaf culture articles, and other resources.

To start learning first words, browse the most-used vocabulary.

In addition to this resource, check with your community college, university, continuing education programs, etc. for information on ASL courses or qualified Deaf tutors whether in classroom or online classes.

This where to take sign language courses post suggests some ideas on how to find ASL classes.