Month: December 2022

Just as Christmas is more than one day, meaning more than just goodwill and gift-giving, my dictionary has more than one hand sign for the Holiday. Similar to the ASL hand sign for TREE, the C hand sign twists back and forth as the elbow of the arm rests on the opposite open hand. Instead of Santa, I chose the other reason for the season. A cartoon of a Heralding Angel, with the silhouette of the Nativity reflected on his instrument.
#ASL #signlanguage #Christmas #nativity #angel #cartoon #myasldictionary

Merry Christmas to All! As promised in the Christmas countdown, I’m posting my dictionary’s hand signs for the Holiday.
Father Christmas shows the first as his C hand shape arcs from the front of one shoulder to the next. The visual represents the Yuletide Wreath placed on the door as an invitation to the spirit of Christmas to enter the home.
This Jolly old elf is a little thinner than my dictionary’s other Santa after my friend Ann Kunst had shown me photos of the Netherlands’ trim Sinterklass on a steamboat.
Tomorrow I’ll be posting my dictionary’s other hand sign for Christmas.
#ASL #signlanguage #Christmas #Santa #cartoon #myasldictionary

In celebration of this Winter Holiday, my dictionary’s Cardinal numbers showing a quick ASL Christmas countdown , soon to be followed by my dictionary’s two ASL hand signs for Christmas.
#ASL #signlanguage #christmas #numbers #cartoon #myasldictionary

As my immune system continues its battle, I’ve been put in quarantine until the virus is proven to be a simple cold and not another variant of Covid19. Even my dictionary has been touched by this Pandemic, with some cartoons wearing mandatory PPE and masks.
While I cross my fingers to get out of isolation in time for Christmas, the ASL Word of the Day is Sick, presented by a sniffling patient in a medical gown. The bent middle fingers touch the middle of the temple and stomach twice. His outfit was a paler green in the original drawing, but my fellow students commented how it made him look sickly (even though that visual was the point). To lighten him up, I upgraded the gown to a brighter green, shown in the dictionary and the animation.
#ASL #signlanguage #sick #illness #malady #patient #cartoon #myasldictionary

As the North Pole tilts furthest from the sun, the Winter Solstice begins. The shortest day of the year and the start of many colourful holidays to balance its darkness. Instead of Old Man Winter, my dictionary has a Snow princess to demonstrate the ASL hand sign for Winter. For the ASL Word of the Day, I added some extra snowflakes to have her show two hand signs for the season. The first is also the hand sign for COLD. With the two palms facing each other, both S hand signs shake in front of each other, like shivering in the cold. The second is an initialized hand sign using the W hand shape (in case you want to say it’s a Cold Winter).
#ASL #signlanguage #Winter #Cold #Snow #Princess #cartoon #myasldictionary

As Christmas draws closer, my immune system tenaciously battles the cold I caught a few days ago. I’ve skipped the fever and congestion to hop over to the next stage, the Frog in the throat. To mark this event, the ASL hand sign for FROG.
With the S hand sign under the chin, the index and middle finger flick out into a V. The visual of a frog and its long sticky tongue catching flies and bugs, but not princess’ hearts. Instead of a Frog Prince, the character for this hand sign is the King of Frogs, Mr. Jim Henson, whose green amphibian made ‘millions of people happy.’
#ASL #signlanguage #frog #henson #cartoon #myasldictionary

As the beautiful Christmas snow flutters to the ground, I have an unwanted guest knocking at my door, a common cold. With the ASL countdown to Christmas continuing, I’m adding the ASL hand sign for Cold, the one thing no one wants for the Holidays. The bent index finger and thumb are pressed against the nostrils like a handkerchief covering a sneeze as the hand pulls down (good thing my dictionary also has the hand sign for washing your hands).
#ASL #signlanguage #cold #sick #cartoon #myasldictionary

Today my Twitter Account sent me Congratulations for my five years on the platform. To celebrate, my published dictionary’s ASL hand sign for Bird, another feathered creature skilled at tweeting. The closing index finger and thumb mimic a bird’s beak. A hand sign also for Chicken, Coward, Fowl, and the number 20. I hope my flying birds aren’t too much of a distraction from the lesson, as there is no flapping in the book.
#ASL #signlanguage #bird #falconer #cartoon #myasldictionary