1. Parameters of ASL

2. Parameters are: Palm Orientation Hand shape Location Movement
Non manual markers

3. Palm Orientation
Direction of your palm

4. Handshape There are over 45 different hand shapes in ASL
A - aunt, sweetheart
open A -girl, which, remember, tomorrow
B – son, blue, brown, door
C – cousin, class, wife, husband, chocolate
E – elevator
F – France, cat, family, tea
open F – meat, steak

5. Handshapes G- green, mustache
H- fun, hard of hearing, horse, name , train
I – if, art, draw
K –people, two of us, purple
L – later, library, live
Bent L – moon, run, camera, big

6. Handshapes M – math N – nurse, niece, nephew, 0- none, office
Flat 0 – home, eat, boy, buy, store
R – restroom rules, ready

7. Handshapes S- yes, motorcycle, car, bike, coffee, make
T – team, toilet
U- cute, uncle, university
V – stuck, see, stand
Bent V – stairs, ride- in, travel
W – weird, world, water
X - hearing aid, apple, friend, key
Closed X – write, celebrate
Y- silly, same, cow, New York, phone

8. Handshapes 1 go-to, where, black, deaf, boring, 3 – vehicle, awkward
Bent 3 – bug
4- line of people, talk, meeting
5- mom, dad, man, woman, fine, candle, what
Bent closed 5 – know, near, how, have, excuse me
Claw 5 – machine, want
8- light bulb, melon
25 – what’s up, feel, sick,

9. Location
Where on the body
each sign starts/ ends

10. Movement The direction the sign moves
Away from the body, towards the body
Does it repeat

11. Minimal pairs pairs of signs which differ in only one element
Mother/ Father (location)
Good/ thank you (movement)
Think/ know (handshape)
Nice/ week (handshape)
Home/yesterday (handshape)
Happy/ enjoy (movement)

12. Minimal Pairs Please/sorry (handshape) Red/ sweet
School/ paper (slight location)
Sometimes/ once (movement)
Restaurant/ cafeteria/ napkin ( handshape)
Good/ bad
Grandmother/ grandfather
Dry/ugly, summer
Apple/ onion