The word like in sign language

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Sign

Today, we’re going to learn how to say like in sign language. ‘Like’ is one of the common words you encounter in your sign language journey.

Although the word is different in different sign languages, we’ll only deal with British Sign Language or BSL today.

Check out British Sign Language Alphabet in this blog!

So let’s get started.

Like in Sign Language

Watch the full video, which we’ve included below.

If it moves too quickly for you, don’t worry. Below, each step will be covered in more detail.

Before we start, remember that BSL is a two-handed sign language. 

There are different signs where we make one gesture with our dominant hand and then make helping motions with our non-dominant hand to complete the sign. While signing, never switch to your other hand. The person you’re conversing with will become confused by this.

Do the following right now.

1. Start with a normal posture.

2. Now place your hands on your chest like in the picture above.

3. Say the word like while you’re signing.

So, that’s the first version of the word. So now, let’s see the second version. This is the two-handed version of the word.

1. Start with a normal posture again.

2. Raise both of your hands.

3. Pull out the index fingers of both your hands.

4. Tap the index fingers of one hand with the fingers of the other hand twice.

5. Remember to say the word when you’re signing it.

Conclusion

So, that’s how we say like in sign language. There are two different forms of the word, as you can see. One of them needs both of our hands, but the other doesn’t. Because so many words in sign language, particularly in BSL, require the use of both hands, visibility is essential.

If your audience can’t see you clearly, they’ll become confused or, worst yet, think the word is insulting. Keep a smile on your face at all times. With only a simple, charming look, you may connect with your audience right away.

What to Read Next:

• I Love You in Sign Language – Video and Image Include
• How in Sign Language – Video & Image Included
• Beautiful in Sign Language – Video & Image Included
• Stop in Sign Language – Video & Image Included
• A in Sign Language – Video & Image Included
• Man in Sign Language – Video & Image Included
• For in Sign Language – Video & Images Included

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Note, this sign doesn’t mean «similar»
or «same as.»  Instead see: SAME

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Notes:
 In the above sequence, the first picture is optional.  Most of the
time I start the sign a bit out from my chest with my middle finger and thumb pointing
back toward my chest (but not touching either my chest or each other). 
Then I move the hand forward while bringing the index and thumb together.
 

The sign «LIKE» ends up in an «8» hand shape.  This is how it looks
from the signer’s viewpoint at
the end of the sign:

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The sign for «don’t-LIKE» uses what is called «reversal of orientation
for negation.»

DON’T-LIKE:

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LIKE: «for example»
If you mean «like» as in «for example» then use the sign «SHOW.»
The English word «like» has several meanings. When paired with the
word «what» as in the question «Like what?» the word «like» can
mean, «for example.»  The ASL sign «SHOW» can be used to mean
«for example.»  See: SHOW 
 

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You can learn
American Sign Language (ASL) online at American Sign Language University �
ASL resources by Lifeprint.com  �  Dr. William Vicars

How to sign: find enjoyable or agreeable
«I like jogging»; «She likes to read Russian novels»;

Within this category: care for, cotton, love, prefer

like

How to sign: having the same or similar characteristics
«all politicians are alike»; «they looked utterly alike»; «friends are generaly alike in background and taste»;

Similiar / Same: alike, similar

First time? Quick how-to.

This visual quick how-to guide shows you how to search a word, for example «handspeak».

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Are you a Deaf artist, author, traveler, etc. etc.?

Some of the word entries in the ASL dictionary feature Deaf stories or anecdotes, arts, photographs, quotes, etc. to educate and to inspire, and to be preserved in Deaf/ASL history, and to expose and recognize Deaf works, talents, experiences, joys and pains, and successes.

If you’re a Deaf artist, book author, or creative and would like your work to be considered for a possible mention on this website/webapp, introduce yourself and your works. Are you a Deaf mother/father, traveler, politician, teacher, etc. etc. and have an inspirational story, anecdote, or bragging rights to share — tiny or big doesn’t matter, you’re welcome to email it. Codas are also welcome.

Hearing ASL student, who might have stories or anecdotes, also are welcome to share.

ASL to English reverse dictionary

Don’t know what a sign mean? Search ASL to English reverse dictionary to find what an ASL sign means.

Vocabulary building

To start with the First 100 ASL signs for beginners, and continue with the Second 100 ASL signs, and further with the Third 100 ASL signs.

Language Building

Learning ASL words does not equate with learning the language. Learn the language beyond sign language words.

Contextual meaning: Some ASL signs in the dictionary may not mean the same in different contexts and/or ASL sentences. A meaning of a word or phrase can change in sentences and contexts. You will see some examples in video sentences.

Grammar: Many ASL words, especially verbs, in the dictionary are a «base»; be aware that many of them can be grammatically inflected within ASL sentences. Some entries have sentence examples.

Sign production (pronunciation): A change or modification of one of the parameters of the sign, such as handshape, movement, palm orientation, location, and non-manual signals (e.g. facial expressions) can change a meaning or a subtle variety of meaning. Or mispronunciation.

Variation: Some ASL signs have regional (and generational) variations across North America. Some common variations are included as much as possible, but for specifically local variations, interact with your local community to learn their local variations.

Fingerspelling: When there is no word in one language, borrowing is a loanword from another language. In sign language, manual alphabet is used to represent a word of the spoken/written language.

American Sign Language (ASL) is very much alive and indefinitely constructable as any spoken language. The best way to use ASL right is to immerse in daily language interactions and conversations with Ameslan/Deaf people (or ASLians).

We have compiled a great collection of videos showing the top 150 basic ASL sign language words.

These are the words that you should learn first. Learning the signs for these ASL sign language words is a great way to build a basic vocabulary foundation before learning full American Sign Language. These 150 words were chosen by finding the most important words learned in our ASL 1 course. These are the words that students learn first in the class and are therefore extremely useful to learn–especially if you plan to take an ASL class in the future.

These top 150 words have been organized into 11 categories: Common, Animals, Colors, Descriptions, Family, Food, Home, People, Questions, School, and Time. This should make them easy to find and easier to learn. The more important categories are listed toward the top. These are the basic ASL sign language words that you will find yourself using the most often. The categories toward the bottom are best for enriching basic conversations. Keep in mind that this list is just a starter and contains only the most common basic signs used in American Sign Language.

And, of course, there is more to American Sign Language than just memorizing vocabulary. ASL has its own grammar, syntax, culture, and history! Don’t forget to check out our free American Sign Language online classes where you can learn sign language and not just the basic sign language words!

• 🏁 First Signs
• 🐴 Animals
• 👶 Baby Sign Language
• 🎨 Colors
• 🍔 Food and Drinks
• 👪 Friends and Family
• 🏠 House and Home
• 👥 People
• 👕 Descriptions and Clothing
• ❓ Questions
• ❄️ Seasons and Holidays
• 📚 School and Education
• 🕑 Time
• ☀️ Weather

> Want to learn more? Find out which Start ASL course is right for you >

Basic Sign Language (ASL) Grammar Explanations

The Five Elements

Just like how we see English words as the arrangement of letters, there are five basic sign language elements that make up each sign. The five elements are: handshape, movement, palm orientation, location, and facial expression. American Sign Language is a very expressive language, and understanding these elements will give you a better understanding of how signs are made and what makes them different.

Your Dominant Hand

You have a dominant and non-dominant hand. If you are right-handed, your right hand is your dominant hand. If you are left-handed, your left hand is your dominant hand. If you are ambidextrous, choose one hand to use as your dominant hand, and stick with it.

There are three types of signs when it comes to what hand you will use:

• One-handed signs: Uses only your dominant hand
• Two-handed symmetrical signs: Uses both your dominant and non-dominant hand where they both move the same way
• Two-handed non-symmetrical signs: Uses both your dominant and non-dominant hand where the dominant hand moves while the non-dominant hand remains stationary

Your non-dominant hand will never move unless your dominant hand is moving the same way. This is very important for when you graduate from basic sign language into more complex signing. You don’t want to get confused!

Basic Handshapes

These are a few basic sign language handshapes that are used to form many signs. Practice forming these handshapes–you will find them very helpful for learning ASL vocabulary.

• Open hand: Your hand is flat and your fingers are spread apart (5 hand)
• Flat hand: Your hand is flat and your fingers and thumb are touching
• Curved hand: Your hand is curved and your fingers and thumb are touching
• Bent hand: Your hand is bent at the knuckles and your fingers and thumb are touching and held straight
• Clawed hand: Your hand is curved and your fingers are separated
• And hand: Your hand is formed so that all of your fingertips are touching
• One hand: Your index finger is up with your palm facing forward

Your Signing Area

Your signing area is the space in front of your body from the top of your head down to your waist and from shoulder to shoulder. Most signs are made in this space during everyday conversation. Your signs should not extend beyond this area unless you are signing for a huge audience (where you should sign larger and slower).

Direction

Basic sign language direction is very important when it comes to the meaning of signs. A sign can have one meaning when it moves one way and another meaning when it moves the other way. For example, the signs for IN and OUT have different directions and different meanings.

Direction can also provide information about the subject and the object of a sentence in basic sign language. You can move the sign GIVE away from you to signify that you are giving something to someone. You can move the sign GIVE from one person to another to signify that the first person is giving something to the second person. You can do this with many signs, such as: TELL, ASK, and SEND.

Tense

In English, words are spelled differently to indicate the past, present, and future. In basic sign language, you use your body to indicate tense. Signs for the present are signed in front of your body (TODAY and NOW), signs for past are signed moving backward (BEFORE and YESTERDAY), and signs for the future are signed moving forward (TOMORROW and SOMEDAY).

Intensity

In English, intensity is usually shown by adding words. In ASL, intensity is shown by varying the intensity or speed with which a sign is made or by incorporating facial expression.

For example: the sign for WALK can be made quickly or slowly to indicate how the person is walking, LIGHT BLUE is signed with a slight wrist turning motion, and SMART becomes BRILLIANT and PRETTY becomes BEAUTIFUL when signs are exaggerated.

Iconic Signs

When signs look like the word they are representing, these are said to be iconic signs. These signs can often be recognized by people who don’t know basic sign language. The sign for ELEPHANT is signed like an elephant’s trunk. The sign for SWIMMING looks like a breast stroke. There are many signs like this.

Some signs seem to be arbitrary when you first see them. When you look at the root, though, some signs becomes more iconic. The sign for HOME is made by placing your hand on your lips, then on your head. This represents where someone eats and sleeps.

Initialized Signs

An initialized sign is one that has the handshape of the first letter of the word. You will come across many of these signs in basic sign language and some are very helpful for knowing the specificity of the sign. For example, the signs for DOCTOR and NURSE look the same except that DOCTOR is signed with a “D” handshape and NURSE is signed with an “N” handshape.

The Person Ending

To show a person’s occupation or nationality, you would add the person-ending sign after the occupation or nationality. For example, you would sign TEACH + person-ending for the sign TEACHER. You could also sign AMERICA + person-ending for the sign AMERICAN. To make the person-ending, point both of your flat hands forward in front of your chest with your palms facing each other. Then, move both of your hands down at the same time.

Gender

Location is what shows you the gender of some signs. Most male signs are formed on or near the forehead while most female signs are formed on or near the cheek or chin. For example, FATHER is signed by touching the tip of your thumb to your head, while MOTHER is signed by touching the tip of your thumb to your chin.

Plurals and Possessives

To form plurals, you have a few different options:

• The most common way is to repeat the sign several times on either side of your body. Repeating the sign for CAT would mean “multiple cats.”
• You can also add a number or sign that indicates quantity after the sign. You can sign CAR + MANY to mean “many cars.”
• You can also form the sign, then point with your index finger at a number of locations in your signing area. You can sign HOUSE then point around in your signing area to mean “many houses.”

Possessives are rarely used because you can usually use context. However, you can sign the letter “S” with a twist of your wrist after you sign the noun or fingerspell the word that is in possession of the thing you are talking about.

Negatives

To form a negative, you can do a few things:

• Sign the word NOT before the intended word. In relation to English, this adds the un-, im-, in-, or dis- prefix to the word (NOT + HAPPY = “unhappy”).
• Shake your head back and forth while signing the word (BELIEVE + (shake head) = “don’t believe”).
• For some signs, you can twist your hand downward to indicate a negative (WANT + (twist hands so palms face downward) = “don’t want”).

Articles

Articles (a, an, and the) are normally left out of basic sign language conversation. They are not necessary. However, articles are sometimes used for teaching deaf students English.

Punctuation

Like articles, punctuation marks are left out. They are also unnecessary (facial expression suffices). If you feel you need to add a punctuation mark, just trace the shape of the mark in the air with your pointer finger.

Numbers

Please see the Numbers section of our ASL Dictionary for videos of how different numbers are signed in ASL.

Repeating Signs

Repeating a sign several times can make that sign plural. Repetition can also add another dimension to ASL. To show a continuous action, you would form the sign with a repeated, slow circular movement. To show a recurrent action, you would form the sign with several quick repeated movements. For example, you can sign LOOK several times with a slow motion to show that you gazed steadily at something, but signing LOOK with a quick repeated motion shows that you glanced at something numerous times.

We hope we were able to clear some things up about basic sign language for you! Now that you are armed with this information, are you ready to learn some ASL? Then jump on over to our free American Sign Language lessons!

> Want to learn more? Find out which Start ASL course is right for you >