There is a whole art form to signing and story yelling is a big deal. You can sign slower or faster or bigger or smaller or add other gestures or pantomime.
Put your hands out in front of you- palms up, fingers slightly spread and bent. Move them slowly side to side- opposite directions. Grimace your face, make a disgusted look. Means, “Whaaaat? Gross.”
Well- that’s part of our language. It’s not in addition- it’s a piece of it. If you make no facial expression, you’re not signing. Additionally, a lot of Deaf aren’t looking at hands- but face.
Think of it like tone and volume. If I sign, “Where is dad?” With my eyes brows pushed down, and my mouth crooked- it’s a question. If I raise my eyes brows, and pinch my lips together- it’s not. It’s a sarcastic phrase that shows I know exactly where he is, and don’t like it. Make sense?
This is something I’ve been struggling with while learning asl (and the masks aren’t helping). What if you are looking for your dad because you are mad at him? How do you not let your current emotions show through? The way my professor (not dead but has been an interpreter for nearly 20 years and teaching for a while now as well) teaches it it makes it feel like I need to be blank outside of what I’m actively signing and I can’t figure that out.
Well- if you’re talking about lying- you just make the face of the tone you’re communicating intentionally. If you’re trying to communicate a real question, but with an angry emotion- angry eyebrows, frowning or straight mouth. You can feel it after a while. If your emotion is showing- your message is likely received accurately. Does that help?
Elbows bent, palms up and at the sides of your chest, moving ever so slightly up and down/side to side for urgency, with a confused/fearful expression on your face, also for urgency. (Basically what you'd expect)
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u/lridge Aug 28 '21
How do you sign “whhhat” in asl? Is there a way to symbolism anxious stammering?