Developing Signs

American Sign Language has a rich history of development and ongoing changes, just like any language! Signs have been created in a variety of different ways. When you’re watching someone sign, you might be able to guess the meaning behind a few. “Ice cream”, for example, is a clear picture of someone eating ice cream. “To call” looks like someone calling, and “cat” is shown by depicting whiskers! Many signs, however, seem completely arbitrary. “Not” and “please” and “name” don’t clearly show any picture, similar to how in English there is really no reason we call a chair a chair. There is another group of signs called initialized signs, as well! These signs use a fingerspelled letter (or letters) that corresponds to the English spelling of the word. Many colors, for example, are initialized. “Purple,” “Green,” “Blue,” “Yellow,” “Orange,” and “Pink” are all initialized signs because they incorporate the first letter into the sign! “Yes” has even been developed over many years, starting from fingerspelling. Fingerspell Y-E-S and your hand might naturally move down, ending on S: the handshape used for “yes”! It is truly amazing to see how languages alter over the years: and there are certainly plenty of changes to come!