Glossary of Terms

ASL Club: A support group with members all over the world. Anyone with interest in American Sign Language can join and post questions, remarks, etc. This group has many knowledgeable members willing to answer and/or brainstorm.

ASL Gloss: A support group of interpreters who sign songs and work with other members to gloss from English to ASL. Archive of many glossed songs available on-line.

ASLTA: American Sign Language Teachers Association - A national professional quality assurance testing organization aimed at standardizing teaching of ASL.

MDA: Michigan Deaf Association - the Michigan chapter under the National Association of the Deaf.

MIRID: Michigan Registry of interpreters for the Deaf - one of seven chapters in Region 3 under the national RID.

MSD: Michigan Snowmobilers of the Deaf - a social organization established in 1971 by a few Flint friends to enjoy the sport of snowmobiling in the company of friends.

NAD: National Association of the Deaf - the largest deaf organization in the U.S; the legal watchdogs for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Head quarters are in Silver Springs, MD.

RID: Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf - The national organization of professional interpreters with 10,000 members though out America.

SWC: The "SAY WHAT" Club - On-line support group for those with hearing loss/deafness or those interested in someone with hearing loss/deafness.

SWCDHC: The DEAF/HEARING COUPLES sub group under the SWC. This support group is for those involved in a "couples" relationship where one is deaf and one hearing

Teach ASL: A support group primary for those teaching ASL (high school or college) to compare programs, vent problems, seek resources, or ask for advice. Many are also ASLTA members.

ASL: American Sign Language - the visual/conceptual language of those culturally deaf in America and parts of Canada.

CL: Classifier - a hand shape representing the size and shape of an object. CL: F= coin, button, spot, etc, CL:C = cup, vase, bottle, etc, CL: BB = table top, shelf, map, CL: LL = pizza, pancake, platter, etc. OR classifier could represent a noun/pronoun such as CL 3= vehicle, CL: 1 = person, limb, tall building. This is but a small representation.

H: Hand shape - one of the parameters of an ASL sign. There are many Hand shapes but the common ones are 5H ("Mother"), OHFC (Open Hand Fingers Closed: "Happy"), RAH (Right Angle Hand: "Have"), IH (Index Hand: "Me"), CLH (Claw Hand: "Mad"), ABC (Alphabet Hand: "Search"), OAH (Open And Hand: "Learn") AH (And Hand: "Teach" ), TH (Touch Hand: "Pity"), and many more shapes modified yet specific.

L: Location - Where the sign starts before movement added could be Neutral space, on torso, on head, etc. Neutral space: "Court", Torso: "Feel", Head: "Know".

M: Movement - How does the sign move and where does it go? Single movement: "Sit", Double movement: "Chair" , Circular: "Sitting" , Zigzag: "Explain" In: "Have", Out: "Fine", or arc: "Angry".

NMS: Non manual signals - facial expressions and body movements necessary for certain aspects of ASL. Many adverbs and adjectives as well as most sentence structures require specific NMS.

PO: Palm orientation - one of the parameters of an ASL sign. Palm orientation can be in, out, up, down, left, or right. Changing PO with all other parameters being the same can result in a sign of different meaning.