Definition

1. Noun:
   • A visual-gestural language: American Sign Language (ASL) is a complete, natural language that employs signs made by moving the hands combined with facial expressions and postures of the body. It is the primary language of many Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities in the United States and most of anglophone Canada.
   • A distinct linguistic system: It is not derived from English and has its own unique grammar, syntax, and structure.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • She is fluent in American Sign Language and English.
  • The university offers courses in American Sign Language.
  • American Sign Language uses space and movement to convey meaning.

Advanced Usage

• "ASL": The common initialism for American Sign Language.
  • Many schools now recognize ASL as fulfilling foreign language requirements.
• Concept of being a "signed language": It is one of many signed languages in the world, each with its own history and rules, such as British Sign Language (BSL) or French Sign Language (LSF).

Variants and Related Words

• ASL (n): The standard abbreviation for American Sign Language.
• Sign language (n): The broader category of languages that use manual communication to convey meaning. American Sign Language is a specific type of sign language.
• Signing (n/v): The act of communicating using sign language.
  • He was signing to his friend.

Synonyms

• ASL: The direct abbreviated synonym.
• Manual language: A more general, less common term emphasizing the use of hands.

Related Phrases

• To know ASL: To have proficiency in American Sign Language.
  • Do you know ASL?
• ASL interpreter: A professional who translates between spoken English and American Sign Language.
  • The conference provided an ASL interpreter.

Related Concepts

• Deaf culture: The social beliefs, behaviors, art, literary traditions, history, and shared institutions of communities that are influenced by deafness and which use sign languages as the main means of communication. ASL is a central pillar of Deaf culture in the U.S.
• Fingerspelling: A component of ASL where words are spelled out letter-by-letter using specific handshapes to represent the alphabet.

Noun

1. the sign language used in the United States