Hi there! Today we are going to learn how to sign colors and describe objects in American Sign Language!
In American Sign Language, we sign colors to describe the world around us. To sign a color, we often use the first letter of that color's English word.
To sign BLUE, you make the ASL handshape for the letter 'B'. Then, you gently twist your wrist back and forth. Watch how the hand moves to show the color of the sky!
In English, we say 'the blue shirt' by putting the color first. But in ASL, we usually sign the noun first, and then the color! We sign 'SHIRT BLUE' to describe it.
✏️ Worked example
Let's practice how a student would translate the English phrase 'the yellow backpack' into ASL order.
First, find the main noun in the English phrase. The noun is 'backpack'.
Next, find the describing word, which is the color 'yellow'.
Now, switch the order to match ASL grammar rules. Place the noun first and the color second.
The final ASL order becomes 'BACKPACK YELLOW'.
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