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GLOSS:

"Gloss" is what you call it when you write one language in another.

When you gloss, you are not translating (transliterating) the language--rather you are attempting to transcribe it (write it down or represent it in text form) word for word or sign for sign.

When we see someone signing and we write it down or type it out sign for sign and include various notations to account for the facial and body grammar that goes with the signs--we are using "ASL GLOSS."

What follows here are some of my notes regarding "glossing."
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"!"
When a sign gloss has an "!" exclamation point after it that means you should emphasize the sign. Sign it a bit faster, stronger, or more exaggerated than normal.

"#"
The # symbol, which goes by many names, (number sign, crosshatch character, pound sign, hash, octothorpe, etc.) is used to indicate the lexicalization of a fingerspelled word. (For example: #ALL, #WHAT, #BUSY).  When you "lexicalize" a fingerspelled word, you mutate the spelling so that it is produced more like a sign than a fingerspelled word.

PRO.1  /  PRO.2  /  PRO.3
These terms refer to "first person," "second person," and "third person" pronouns.  PRO.1 means "I or me." PRO.2 means "you."  PRO.3 means "he, she, him, or her."
For example, the ASL gloss “PRO.3 LOVE PRO.1” is typically translated as:  "He loves me" or  "She loves me"-- depending on whether the subject is a male or female.

QM-wiggle:
The gloss:  "qm-w" stands for "question mark wiggle." That is the process of holding an "x" hand up at the end of a sentence and wiggling the index finger (flexing it a few times.).

 

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