Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 2: Introduce yourself in American Sign Language
• Method 2 of 2: Earning a Name Sign in American Sign Language
• Tips
• Warnings

If you are talking to someone who is deaf in the US or Canada, introduce yourself first. This article will show you how to say your name in American Sign Language (ASL), the sign language used in the United States and Canada. There is a universal sign language, but it is rarely used and is not a reliable means of communication.

To step

Method 1 of 2: Introduce yourself in American Sign Language

1. Gesture "Hi". Make a closed "5" hand shape (open palm, fingers together). Put your thumb against the side of your head and pull your hand away, as in a "salute".
   • You can also make a small swinging motion next to your head.
2. Gesture "my". Place your hand in the center of your chest. Don't pat yourself on the chest.
   • Some people prefer to point and touch their sternum with their index finger. Both gestures are used, although the latter actually means "I".
3. Gesture "name". Straighten your index and middle fingers, keeping the rest of your fingers bent, as if you were finger-spelling the "you". Turn them on their side with the index finger up. Place the fingers of your dominant hand on top of the fingers of your other hand and tap twice. This makes a kind of x shape right in front of you.
4. Finger play your name. Now spell your name with your fingers. Keep your hand steady in front of you. Finger play at an even pace; it is more important to move smoothly than fast.
   • Pause briefly between words when spelling your full name.
   • If your name has the same two letters in a row, "open" and "close" your hand to repeat the letter. For letters that are not easy to repeat (such as the m's in Emma), you can instead move your hand slightly to the side for the second letter, without changing the hand shape. Or bounce it "on top of" the previous letter.
5. Keep it one whole. Practice this fluently: "Hi, my name is". Keep the words in this precise order.
   • The verb "to be" does not exist in ASL. Don't try to fingerplay "is" in the sentence.
6. Add body language to show emotion. Body and facial expressions are very important to ASL. Gesturing without adjusting your face and posture is like speaking very monotonously and it is much more difficult to converse with you.
   • When you sign your name, try to keep an open mind. Put on a little smile and open your eyes a little wider. By the time you gesture "my", your head should be slightly crooked and understanding. Make eye contact with the person you are gesturing with.
7. Add your name gesture (optional). Name gestures, discussed below, are not necessary to introduce you. If you are introduced formally, you normally stick to finger spelling. A name gesture can come up later, if it's more casual. But if you are introduced in an informal way, such as by a mutual friend, you can change the introduction to "Hi, my name (your name in finger spelling)."

Method 2 of 2: Earning a Name Sign in American Sign Language

1. Start with finger games. At this point, since you don't have a name gesture yet, you can introduce yourself by finger spelling your spoken name. So first learn how to fingerplay in ASL on wikiHow, online videos, or from someone who is deaf. Spelling your name simply means spelling each letter one after the other. Practice this until you can spell at a steady pace, with your hand in the same position in front of you.
   • Sign languages ​​are not based on alphabets, so it is not important to spell most words (gestures). Finger spelling comes in handy in situations like these, when you need to spell a particular word (like your name) that doesn't have a gesture.
   • If your name is short and easy to spell with your fingers, this could be your regular name.
2. Learn about name signs. Your "name gesture" is a special word created especially for you. You cannot translate an English name into a name gesture. It is up to deaf sign language users to come up with a name for you, if they feel you are part of their community. Here are some of the patterns that name gestures often follow.
   • The random name gesture: One common way to make a name gesture is to hold one hand in the finger-spelled shape of the first letter of your name. Tap this letter a few times against a specific part of your body, usually your forehead, cheek, chin, shoulder, or chest. You can also move your hand back and forth between two positions, or move your hand back and forth in the "neutral area" just in front of your chest.
     • There is no clear-cut reason for choosing a particular spot, which is why this form of a name gesture is called "random."
   • The descriptive name gesture: These name signs refer to a certain, often obvious, physical characteristic. For example, you could sweep your hand along a scar on your face or twist your fingers down at your neck to refer to your long hair. People starting out with sign language often prefer them to random gestures because they seem more fun. However, it is often more difficult to come up with one yourself. Sign languages ​​use visual grammar, limiting form, place and movement. The word you came up with might not look like a word at all unless you have learned ASL or have used it for a long time.
   • The hybrid name gesture: There is a third type of name gesture: a gesture that refers to a specific characteristic, but also uses the hand shape of the first letter of your name. Although it is often used by deaf people, it is seen by some people as a modern hearing introduction that does not fit with the traditional naming system. It may well be that a deaf person will eventually give you a hybrid name. You might come across as annoying or blunt if you try to think of one yourself, even more so than if you were to think of any other kind of name.
3. If possible, let someone who is deaf give you a name - don't make up your own name gesture. If a deaf person gives you a name gesture, he or she has decided that you are part of the deaf community. This is an important time for someone who does not use sign language from birth and it can sometimes take years for such a thing to happen. Even if this argument doesn't convince you, there are several risks involved in coming up with your own name gesture:
   • You could use a hand shape that is difficult to follow or violates grammar rules. ("Hi, my name is Zzxqbub.")
   • You could think of a gesture that looks like a swear word.
   • Someone in the neighborhood could already use the name gesture.
   • Your name gesture could look like the name of a famous person. (Imagine an outsider trying to steal the name Martin Luther King.)
   • It is also contrary to deaf culture for a hearing person to make up his own name gesture.
4. Watch names change and multiply. As you get to know ASL and get to know experienced users, you might notice that people are referred to with different name signs. This usually happens when they get a name gesture from different communities. A name gesture can also change place or hand shape over time to distinguish it from a homonymous name, or be performed more quickly, or partially modified to remove a painful or irrelevant reference.

Tips

• There are hundreds of sign languages ​​in the world. The American Sign Language and finger spelling described here is mainly used in the United States and Canada. The discussion about the cultural meaning surrounding name signs is also mainly related to those countries.
• If you use sign language, don't assume that someone who is deaf can also read the lips. Even an experienced lip reader only understands about 30% of what is being said.
• Without a capital letter, deaf refers to the physical hearing loss, with a capital letter to the deaf community and culture.
• Use body language to express what you are saying in gestures. For example, you can show that you don't love something by turning up your nose, but that you hate something by looking disdainfully.
• With simple sentences, don't worry about your facial expression. All you need at "hello" is a smile.

Warnings

• Deaf teens often enjoy coming up with a name gesture for someone, but they could be motivated more by fun than practice. You could end up with a less flattering name, or with a name that is difficult to portray with a gesture.