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Hi! I am Studyfin, your ASL tutor. Today we will learn how to sign 'mother' and 'father'!
In American Sign Language, we use our hands to talk. The area around our face helps show who we are talking about. Signs for male family members are made near the forehead. Signs for female family members are made near the chin.
To sign 'mother', open your dominant hand wide with your fingers spread out. Gently tap your thumb against your chin twice. The chin area is always used for female family signs.
To sign 'father', use the exact same open hand shape. This time, gently tap your thumb against your forehead twice. The forehead area is always used for male family signs.
Imagine you want to sign 'grandfather' and 'grandmother' to your friend. How can you figure out where to place your hands based on what you just learned?
- I know that signs for male family members are made near the forehead.
- Since a grandfather is male, I should start the sign near my forehead.
- I know that signs for female family members are made near the chin.
- Since a grandmother is female, I should start the sign near my chin.
- Both signs use the same hand shape as mother and father, but bounce forward twice in the air!
