Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The primary sign language used by deaf and hearing-impaired people in the United States and Canada, devised in part by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet on the basis of sign language in France.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun a sign language, used in the United States mostly by the deaf or for communication with the deaf, in which gestures made with the hands symbolize words, alphabetical letters, or ideas, permitting rapid communication in the absence of speech.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- proper noun A
language that useshands ,facial expressions , and otherbodily behavior to communicate bothconcrete andabstract ideas ; somesigns are based on English words, but ASLsyntax and grammar are not based on English. ISO 639-3 code:ase .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the sign language used in the United States
Etymologies
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Examples
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The letters on her shirt spell out L-O-V-E in silhouette hands, but not in American Sign Language.
Airport Girl Christian Tomsey 2011
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The most interesting aspect of the film, from a cinematic standpoint, is surely the decision to dub American Sign Language rather than providing subtitles.
Gerry Canavan 2007
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The school doesn't use American Sign Language, which is taught at many state schools for the deaf.
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American Sign Language which is actually based on French sign language has a very similar syntax.
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The drawback in the minds of the deaf community is that the fractured process is still in the hands of audiologists who are "medical equipment technicians," not qualified to make surgical recommendations and are antithetical to American Sign Language which is the culture incarnation that identifies the generation-to-generation deaf.
AllDeaf.com 2010
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Their fusion of music and comedy with unique elements such as American Sign Language has driven the duo's popularity and resulted in memorable performances for audiences around the world.
Paramus Post 2009
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Leclerc learned American Sign Language in high school — then was diagnosed at age 20 with Meniere's disease, an inner-ear disorder that can affect balance and hearing.
Switched at Birth Star Hopes to Bridge the Gap Between the Hearing and Deaf Communities 2011
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Leclerc learned American Sign Language in high school — then was diagnosed at age 20 with Meniere's disease, an inner-ear disorder that can affect balance and hearing.
Switched at Birth Star Hopes to Bridge the Gap Between the Hearing and Deaf Communities 2011
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Anne Tramon, who helped create Circus of the Senses, notes performance features several highly-trained American Sign Language interpreters.
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American Sign Language is, as it sounds, its own language, with its own grammatical structure and particular nuances.
What sign-language interpreters make of the likes of Lady Gaga and Bon Jovi 2011
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