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ASL:  Initialization / Initialized Signing

Available for a student report.

Also see book review 7

Initialization is the process of using the ASL fingerspelled letter that represents the first letter of an English word as the handshape for a sign.

For example, the signs CLASS and FAMILY are initialized signs.

FAMILY:

Warning:  Overuse of initialization is frowned upon by the Deaf Community.  While it is true that quite a few initialized signs have found their way into general usage in the Deaf community--you would do well to use initialization as little as possible if you are trying to develop your ASL skills.


Discussion:

A discussion regarding the initialized version of the initialized sign for SINGLE:

A person interested in signing writes:

<<OH....single...with an s and not the first finger on each side of the mouth.  I see....that was a very English-type sign. I'm surprised you signed it that way. Hmm. Interesting. Is that how everyone is signing it now in ASL? Should I change that? I don't want to be left out of the loop. :)
Smile!! I showed my kids your signs and they thought it was so neat to be able to pull that up on the web. They also thought it was neat that I knew you. My kids are 6-8th grade and vary in ability levels from 1st-5th grade in reading levels. They all enjoy being able to see adult signers. I enjoyed being able to pull up your site in class. Thanks for the info!! Hope all is going well. 
Michelle __________
Deaf Ed Teacher>>


Michelle,
(Please know that I think the world of you and that any defensive tone in this letter is just my natural inclination to argue ANYTHING from both sides. Such being the case, I'm not responding to you but rather to the people that think "one way is the right way" -- which, strangely enough, usually happens to be their way. )

Now, ...on with the discussion...

If a person were to have gone through the lessons starting with number 1 and working forward, they would get to lesson two which contained the vocabulary word "single." Then they'd go to the "single" page, and see the variations.

Please DO go to the page so you can see what I'm talking about:
http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-signs/single.htm

It takes a while to load because of the graphics, but you will notice that I also show the "index" finger version of the sign. You asked if that is how "everyone is signing it in ASL now?" 

I've yet to see "everyone" sign ANYTHING the same. 

I include the lesser known variations of signs on the quizzes to make sure my students are thoroughly familiar with a wide range of sign choices. It is an arguable fact that SOME culturally Deaf signers do sign it with an "S" and I expect my online students to learn that variation as well as the other variations.

You said that the "S" version of "single" is an "English type" sign.

My response is: No more so than the signs Aunt and Uncle are "English type" signs. 

There are many, many legitimate, widely used ASL signs that are initialized. Here are a few for example: Congress, yellow, workshop, whale, Monday, rocket, ready, semester, nurse, project, system, patient/hospital, law, governor, elevator...and my favorite: "family." 

No one in their right mind, (but plenty in a wrong mind) would be willing to dispute that "family" is a bona fide ASL sign used by hundreds of thousands of culturally Deaf people on a regular basis.

But, since initialization is such an easy target to bash, many purists like to wield their clubs with glee. 

ASL is a living language though, and as such is constantly changing and incorporating new lexicon (vocabulary).

Now, back to the "single" sign--check out: 

Costello, E., & Lenderman, L. (1994). Random House American sign language dictionary (1st ed ed.). New York: Random House. 

You will notice that Elaine lists the side to side mini-sweeping motion version of single as the main version. She lists the initialized version as an "alternate sign." And she doesn't even mention the "index finger to the sides of the mouth" version that you suggested. 

Does that "prove" the initialized version is "ASL?" 

A man or woman convinced against his or her will, is a disbeliever still.

I could even jump on the other side of the fence and point out that the sign SINGLE has a non-initialized version that works well, (the index finger to the sides of the mouth) but the sign AUNT doesn't, therefore "SINGLE"-(initialized) is not as legitimate of an ASL sign as is AUNT. But then again, I could sign, "MY DAD, HIS SISTER" to mean AUNT though. Obviously, initialized signs for words like "I" and "WE" are not necessary in ASL. (Unless, perhaps, if you were using ASL to discuss English, heh.)

But, suffice to say, Elaine (the above named author/expert) --in addition to her own lifetime worth of expertise gained from interacting with thousands of Deaf people--employed the knowledge and expertise of over 80 "sign informants," (most of whom are deaf) to ensure the appropriateness of the content of that dictionary. 

So, if one or two, (or 10 or 20) people choose to debate the issue, I suggest they go debate it with Dr. Costello and her team of 80 sign informants.
As for me, I'll keep including it, and various other (but certainly not all) initialized signs in my curriculum. 
Best wishes, your friend,

Bill


Tuesday, Sept 2nd, 2008
I hereby coin a new word: "initiaphobia."
The fear of initialized signs. 
Initiaphobia is generally spread by militant, prescriptive, ASL teachers.
--Bill Vicars


Katie Beaman & Bill Vicars
April 22, 2003

Borrowed Language:

            It is a well known fact that languages borrow from other languages they come in contact with.  English uses words like guru (Hindi), weekend (French), and taco (Spanish).  This is a natural phenomenon that cannot be escaped.

            American Sign Language (ASL) also borrows from other languages.  “Loan signs” are signs that are borrowed from other countries.  Some of ASL is actually French Sign Language, introduced to American Deaf through Laurent Clerc.  However, did you know that ASL borrows from English?  Many signs use “initialization” to clarify a meaning.  Sometimes initialized signs are created for a sign system, but many signs use the first letter (derived from English) to show an exact meaning.  (For example, many colors in ASL like blue, green, and yellow are signed using the first letter of the word.)

            Are these signs really English and not ASL?  Of course not!  These are natural ASL signs that are accepted by the Deaf community.  Initialization of American Sign Language signs is a natural occurrence in ASL that won’t fade any time soon. 

A partial list of widely accepted initialized signs:

Colors 
Blue 
Green 
Yellow 
Pink 
Purple 
Brown 
Silver 
 
Foreign countries 
Foreign 
Asia 
Europe 
Africa (on the face) 
France 
Mexico (old sign) 
Hispanic 
Italy (old sign) 
Israel 
 
Food 
Vegetable 
Fruit 
French fries 
Pizza 
Chocolate 
Vanilla 
Lemon  
Water 
Beer 
Wine 
Dr. Pepper 
 
Categories 
Family 
Agency/association 
Class 
Department 
Group 
Organization 
Society 
Team 
Workshop 
 
Religion 
Religion 
Church 
Muslim 
Temple 
Missionary 
 
Government 
Government 
Politics 
Law 
Congress 
Legislature 
State 
Constitution 
Will (last will) 
Faculty 
Testament 
Staff 
Vice president 
Mayor 
Federal 
Agenda 
Policy/Principle 
Ethics 
Code of Ethics 
 
Cities/States 
Texas 
Dallas 
Beaumont 
Houston 
Washington State 
Chicago 
New Orleans 
St. Louis 
Boston 
Washington, D.C. 
Philadelphia 
Baltimore 
Arizona 
Hawaii 

Medical 
Medical 
Hospital 
Patient 
Nurse 
Client 
Doctor 
Penis 
Toilet 
Restroom 
Infection 
Insurance 
 
Freedom 
Free/freedom 
Liberty 
Save/safe 
Independence 
 
Directions 
North 
South 
East 
West 
Left 
Right 
 
Holidays 
Halloween (mask H) 
Christmas 
Easter 
Retire 
 
Thoughts 
Imagine 
Idea 
Theory 
Hypothesis 
Fantasy 
Philosophy 
Opinion 
Concept 
Reason 
Paranoid 
 
Math 
Math 
Algebra 
Geometry 
Trigonometry 
Calculus 
Interest (related to money) 
Rent 
Ruler 
 
Science 
Chemistry 
Biology 
Weather 
Winter 
Season 
 
School Signs 
History 
Language 
University 
Project 
Program 
Permission 
Computer 
Review 
Resources 
Results 
Graduate 
Grade 
Principal 
Grammar 
 
Personal 
Personal/personality 
Attitude 
Character 
Nature (person’s nature) 
Noble (“nature” with proud face) 
 
Day signs 
Monday 
Tuesday 
Wednesday 
Thursday 
Friday 
Saturday 
Day 
Yesterday 
 
World 
World 
International 
Globe 
Universe 
 
Theatre 
Character 
Role 
Role model 
 
Name signs 
Arbitrary name signs with initials are the U.S. norm (few are descriptive -more common in Europe and Asia) 
 
Life 
Life/live 
Address 
Health 
Physical 
 
Environment 
Environment 
Situation 
Atmosphere 
Culture 
 
“Shoulder-to-hip” signs 
Bosnia 
King 
Queen 
Prince/princess 
Christian 
Lord 
Royal 
Messiah
 
“Chin” signs 
Cafeteria 
Restaurant 
Twin 
Nutrition 

“Wrist” signs 
Use 
Business 
Internship/intern 
Function 
doctor
nurse
 
Emotions 
Emotion 
Honest 
“ILY” (I love you) 
Jealous 
 
Location signs 

Place 
Museum 
Country 
Visit 
 
People signs
 
Gay 
Lesbian 
People 
Communicate 
 
Music signs 
Music 
Poetry 
Concert/choir 
 
Gambling signs 
Bet 
Chance 
Ante 
 
 Miscellaneous 
Island 
Professional 
Train (for a job) 
Ready 
Hurry 
Office 
Room 
Videotape 
Divorce 
Appointment 
Culture 
Hard of Hearing 
Quality 
Producer (relating to movies) 
McDonalds 
Let 
Try 
Bell 
Diamond (ring) 
Cousin 
Idiot
 
 
Note:  You can find even more signs by going through a large sign language dictionary and looking for specific "letter" handshapes:  For example under "N" you will find signs like: 

"N" signs
Natural/nation/normal  
Negotiate 
Neutral 
Nephew 
Niece 
Nominate 
No 
Nun 
Nurse 
North 

Various other initialized signs:
Identify
Interview
Time (era)
Semester
Respect
Honor
Faith

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