Month: October 2023

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CARVED IN STONE

Sculptures are three-dimensional figures or abstract designs created by carving, molding, or casting various hard materials. With my Dictionary already using Michelangelo’s David for the ASL hand sign for ART, a stone-carved statue of a businessman illustrates the hand sign for SCULPTURE. The Thumb of A hand jabs twice in an upward/backward direction into the B hand’s palm, like a sculptor chiseling out the artwork hidden in the rock.
The ASL hand sign for SCULPTOR is SCULPTURE followed by the AGENT hand sign.
#ASL #signlanguage #sculpture #chisel #cartoon #myasldictionary

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SPAGHETTI WESTERN

A saucy Italian dish, Spaghetti is pasta made with long and slender strings. Spaghetti Westerns are a genre of Italian-made Western films from the 1960s and 1970s. Mixing the two, my rugged cowboy with a bright smile shows the ASL hand sign for SPAGHETTI, his poncho with a picture of the pasta wrapped around a fork.
The I hands, with extended pinky fingers touching in front of the chest, arc apart in two loops, like a fork winding a long piece of Spaghetti.

#ASL #americansignlanguage #signlanguage #spaghetti #westerncowboy #cartoon #dictionary #myasldictionary

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PAY DAY

As my Publisher requested, my book’s royalties are now direct deposit, so no more waiting for cheques in the mail. To acknowledge this new payment, a smiling Customer Service Worker from my Dictionary shows the ASL hand sign for PAY. The Index finger on the opposite palm slides forward and off the fingertips, like flicking coins off the hand. As a Directional hand sign, the index finger moves towards the individual getting paid.
#ASL #signlanguage #pay #worker #cartoon #myasldictionary

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TIME IN A BOTTLE

After spending the night waiting for an important email, this lesson in patience inspired me to post my ASL Dictionary’s ASL hand sign for WAIT.
Father Time, with the sands of time in an hourglass behind him, shows the ASL hand sign for WAIT. Both hands are held up in front of the chest as the fingertips wiggle, as impatient people twiddling their fingers tend to do.
#ASL #signlanguage #wait #delay #fathertime #cartoon #myasldictionary

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RACE CAR

As action films will attest, there is nothing more exciting than a car race. To add that excitement to my dictionary, a race car driver in a fancy long-sleeved racing suit and goggles shows the ASL hand sign for CAR and DRIVE. Facing each other, the S hands arc up and down, like a driver’s hands on the steering wheel.
While making this 2013 illustration, I learned about the prejudice and discrimination against Deaf drivers. As the Deaf are more than capable of safe driving (Hearing Drivers are often distracted by sound), I added a Deaf Sticker behind my race car driver.
#ASL #signlanguage #car #drive #deafdriver #cartoon #myasldictionary

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DRIVE MY CAR

With a race car driver illustrating the ASL hand sign for CAR and DRIVE, it fit to have a Chauffeur to show the directional verb, DRIVE TO. My ASL Dictionary already has Green Hornet’s Kato illustrating the hand signs for CHINA, so I went with a cartoon of another famous chauffeur, a clean-shaven Hoke Colburn from Driving Miss Daisy.
With the palms facing the body, the S hands are simultaneously moved forward or back, like a car carrying its passengers.
#ASL #signlanguage #drive to #chauffeur  #cartoon #myasldictionary

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DOUBLE TROUBLE

Last year, I posted the ASL hand sign for Danger under the title RISKY BUSINESS. Instead of re-posting this memory, I updated the animation for a better image of the Left hand blocking the Right (also changing the format to show the hand sign before the fingerspelling and English).
A Pit Crew Chief whose job is operating in dangerous and deafening conditions to keep their drivers safe shows the ASL hand sign for DANGER.
The 10 hand sign moves up against the back of the opposite flat hand twice, like blocking a knife attack.
#ASL #signlanguage #danger #endanger #harassment #harm #hazard #risk #threat #cartoon #myasldictionary

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MOBILE BOOK

In 2013, following Charlie McKelvey, my ASL teacher’s suggestion, I spent eight years creating the cartoon-illustrated ebook My ASL Dictionary. As Tellwell Publishing negotiates with Smashwords for full ebook distribution to databases, libraries, and schools, my dictionary’s ASL hand sign for BOOK. With Books now evolving beyond the printed work on pages to include the digital world of mobiles, tablets, and computers, I chose a Private School student in uniform to sign Book (with a side view of his hands for extra clarity). The animation now allows me to show his full hands in motion. With Palms together, the Flat hands open, remaining attached at the sides, like the binding of a book when it’s opened.
#ASL #signlanguage #book #student #cartoon #myasldictionary

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TICKETS PLEASE

The Ticket for my next ASL Class with Canadian Hearing Services has arrived! I’m so excited! In celebration, my Dictionary’s ASL hand sign for TICKET. With tickets for classes, concerts, movies, and transportation, I chose a policeman with a bright yellow vest and a friendly smile for this hand sign. The Bent V hand grabs the opposite flat hand twice, like punching a ticket. For the verb, getting a ticket, the bent V hand grabs the opposite hand with a larger single motion.
#ASL #signlanguages #ticket #police #cartoon #myasldictionary

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PAST TIME

It is common for a creator to insert their interests into their work. As a fan of the BBC program Doctor Who, I made cartoons of this Gallifreyan time traveller for my ASL Dictionary, with ironically only one of the fourteen showing a hand sign about Time. The War Doctor, an incarnation created for the program’s 50th anniversary, shows the ASL hand sign for PAST, PREVIOUS, PRIOR, AND BEFORE. The Dominant Hand bends back over the shoulder to reference the past. Listed in the dictionary under B for BEFORE, this character told a new history of the show’s past canon, making him the perfect choice for the hand sign.
#ASL #signlanguage #past #before #previous #prior #doctorwho #bbc #cartoon #myasldictionary