Fact: You have to use your face when using American Sign Language, or your meaning will be unclear. It’s enough that I’m excited to have a super valid reason not to pursue Botox in this day and age!

Are you asking a Yes or No question? Your eyebrows must go up!

Are you asking a Who/What/Where/When/Why/How question? Your eyebrows should go down! These are known as “WH” questions.

That seems like it should be simple enough (though nothing in ASL ever is.) However, it’s been a decade since I took ASL I and II. Today I learned that I have been signing “WH” questions semi-incorrectly the entire time–and giving myself extra wrinkles in the process.

Can you spot my error?

1. “Where should the two of us eat lunch?”
2. “When do you want to meet?”
3. “What are you doing Saturday?”

To use ASL grammar correctly, I recently learned that where you add the question sign is as important as using your face.

Using your face correctly: Put your ASL “WH” questions — Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? — at the end of your ASL sentences.

Solution: Add the question words at the end!

Note: I’m writing in English rather than ASL gloss below, since I’m still learning

1. “The two of us should eat lunch where?“
2. “You want to meet when?“
3. “He fixed his car how?”

Prevent Wrinkles: Ask Your Question at the END of a Sentence!

If you ask a “WH” question at the beginning of a sentence, ASL Facial Grammar demands that you keep your brow furled for the entire sentence.

Wrinkles much? 😀

If you add the WH question word at the end of the ASL sentence, you only have to furrow your brow at the end!

I’ve been wrinkling my eyebrows for entire sentences, regardless of where I asked the WH question word. Whoops!

Additionally, this is similar to spoken English: In spoken English, we raise the tone of our voice to indicate a question. We should do the same in ASL with our eyebrows and WH-question signs!

Save your face–slow down your wrinkles! Do yourself a favor and get into the habit of asking your questions at the end of ASL sentences.

Source

This tip comes from LifePrint.com’s ASL Lesson #2 in the notes section –scroll down to the text portion to read more.

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