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The signs
WHO
- Handshape
- Thumb down, index finger up and bent.
- Place
- Thumb resting on your chin.
- Movement
- Bend your index finger up and down twice.
Remember it: Who wiggles a question on your chin.
WHAT
- Handshape
- Both open hands, palms facing up.
- Place
- In front of your waist.
- Movement
- Shake both hands gently from side to side.
Remember it: What holds both palms up — show me, I don't know.
WHEN
- Handshape
- One index finger points straight up; the other index does the work.
- Place
- In front of your chest.
- Movement
- Circle your moving index finger around the standing one and land on its tip.
Remember it: When circles around time and lands on the moment.
WHERE
- Handshape
- Index finger pointing up.
- Place
- In front of your shoulder.
- Movement
- Shake the finger from side to side.
Remember it: Where shakes the pointing finger — which place?
WHY
- Handshape
- Bent hand, middle finger longest — touch with the middle finger.
- Place
- Middle finger touches your forehead.
- Movement
- Pull your hand down and away from your forehead, bending your fingers as it comes.
Remember it: Why pulls a thought out of your forehead.
HOW
- Handshape
- Fingertips of both bent hands touching.
- Place
- In front of your chest.
- Movement
- Roll your stronger hand forward, over the other.
Remember it: How rolls the question forward.
UNDERSTAND
- Handshape
- Index finger folded down against your thumb, ready to flick.
- Place
- Right at your forehead.
- Movement
- Flick your index finger straight up, once.
Remember it: Understand is the light switching on at your forehead.
DON'T UNDERSTAND
- Handshape
- Sign UNDERSTAND, but keep the finger down.
- Place
- At your forehead.
- Movement
- Shake your head no while you sign it — your face carries the 'don't'.
Remember it: Don't understand — the light stays off, and your head says so.
AGAIN
- Handshape
- One hand bent, fingertips together; the other hand flat, palm up.
- Place
- Above your open palm.
- Movement
- Tap the fingertips of your bent hand down into your other palm twice.
Remember it: Again drops the words back into your hand — once more.
SLOW
- Handshape
- One hand flat; the other arm across in front of you.
- Place
- Start at the other hand's wrist.
- Movement
- Slide your flat hand slowly up the inside of your other forearm.
Remember it: Slow climbs the arm — slowly.
QUESTION
- Handshape
- Point with your index finger.
- Place
- In the air in front of you.
- Movement
- Draw a question mark in the air: curve up and over, then a dot below.
Remember it: A question draws its own mark in the air.
Try It — sign it yourself
- Ask all five W questions in a row: WHO, WHAT, WHEN, where, WHY.
- Sign UNDERSTAND, then DON'T UNDERSTAND with your head shaking.
- Ask someone a question in signs — and let your eyebrows do half the work.
Hands learn by doing. Slow and clear beats fast and sloppy — every time.
Vocabulary — words to keep
| Word | Spelling | What the sign does | A line to remember it by |
|---|---|---|---|
| WHO | Who | Bend your index finger up and down twice. | Who wiggles a question on your chin. |
| WHAT | What | Shake both hands gently from side to side. | What holds both palms up — show me, I don't know. |
| WHEN | When | Circle your moving index finger around the standing one and land on its tip. | When circles around time and lands on the moment. |
| WHERE | Where | Shake the finger from side to side. | Where shakes the pointing finger — which place? |
| WHY | Why | Pull your hand down and away from your forehead, bending your fingers as it comes. | Why pulls a thought out of your forehead. |
| HOW | How | Roll your stronger hand forward, over the other. | How rolls the question forward. |
| UNDERSTAND | Understand | Flick your index finger straight up, once. | Understand is the light switching on at your forehead. |
| DON'T UNDERSTAND | Don'T Understand | Shake your head no while you sign it — your face carries the 'don't'. | Don't understand — the light stays off, and your head says so. |
| AGAIN | Again | Tap the fingertips of your bent hand down into your other palm twice. | Again drops the words back into your hand — once more. |
| SLOW | Slow | Slide your flat hand slowly up the inside of your other forearm. | Slow climbs the arm — slowly. |
| QUESTION | Question | Draw a question mark in the air: curve up and over, then a dot below. | A question draws its own mark in the air. |