Homework 4.1 Signing Naturally »

Homework 4.1 tests your ability to use referents . If the signer is talking about a rope on the left arm, you must establish that left side of your chest as "Gulliver." Do not just point vaguely. Be precise.

Good luck, and keep those hands moving!

At first glance, 4.1 looks like just another set of translation exercises. But for many students, this is the chapter where ASL stops feeling like "English words on the hands" and starts feeling like a real language with its own grammar. homework 4.1 signing naturally

You cannot pass 4.1 without using CL:1 (for a person standing), CL:V (for legs/people walking), and CL:O (for ropes/cylindrical objects). If you are trying to spell "rope" every time, you are missing the point. The homework wants you to show the shape of the rope using your handshape.

In ASL (specifically for this homework), you need to establish the subject first. Wrong: ROPE ARM AROUND. Right (ASL structure): ARM. (Point to your left arm). ROPE. (Show CL:O wrapping around it). Homework 4

Your workbook provides a gloss (English words in small caps) like: ROPE, CL:O-(around_arm) . Do not read this as a sentence. Read it as a recipe for handshapes. Common Pitfall: "English Word Order" The biggest mistake students make on 4.1 is signing: "The rope is around the arm."

Wait, what?

Have a specific question about a 4.1 sign? Drop it in the comments below.