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ABC Stories:

An ABC story tells a story while incorporating the handshapes of the fingerspelled alphabet into the story. The story starts with a sign that uses the "A" handshape, then the next sign in the story uses a "B" handshape, then the next sign uses a "C" and so forth until the story ends with a "Z."
 



Here's an example of an ABC Story, called "The Apple."
[Note: Some ASL teachers take an immediate dislike to this ABC story due to the use of an initialized "A" handshape being used for the sign "APPLE" instead of the typical "X" handshape version. While I can see their point, I think they are missing the point. If we dismiss all initializations with a knee-jerk reaction we will inevitably miss out on some interesting opportunities to play with the language. -- Bill]
[Note: for a "Signwriting" example of this story, see: Signwriting.]

A "APPLE"
B:CL "table"
C:CL "set-on"
D "worm"
E "munch, munch!"
F "hole"
G "worm sticks head out"
H "sit"
I "ink"
J "drafting/drawing"
K "using a geometric compass to draw a circle"
L "lunch"
M "Monday"
N "No!"
O "hole in apple"
P "kill!"
Q "grab worm, pull from apple, hold over paper shredder"
R "Ready?" [Asks worm if it is ready to be shredded]
S "Save me!" [worm yells for help]
T "Try, try" [worm tries and tries to get free]
U "Tie gets caught in paper shredder"
V "Stuck"
W "pulls out of shredder upside down W -mangled tie"
X "worm crawls away"
Y "Now"
Z "Where?" [looking for worm]
 

Note: for a "Signwriting" example of this story, see: "SIGNWRITING".
 


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