quick question

anlos09

anlos09

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when you're signing numbers 1-5, does palm face in or out?
 
I've learned in, flip over for 6-9! Unless you pair it up with something that makes the move awkward.
 
anlos09 said:
when you're signing numbers 1-5, does palm face in or out?
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I think it depends. If you are signing a phone number or the time, I think the palm faces out. Also if you want to really, really emphasize a number -- then the palm faces out.

But there is an exception. If you are signing the numbers by themselves -- 1 - 5 are usually signed so that the palm faces you and the knuckles face out.

At least per Bill Vicar's web site. I still have very little real life experience with sign.

American Sign Language (ASL)
 
Jazzberry said:
I think it depends. If you are signing a phone number or the time, I think the palm faces out. Also if you want to really, really emphasize a number -- then the palm faces out.

But there is an exception. If you are signing the numbers by themselves -- 1 - 5 are usually signed so that the palm faces you and the knuckles face out.

At least per Bill Vicar's web site. I still have very little real life experience with sign.

American Sign Language (ASL)
Click to expand...

My understanding is similar. If it's 1-5 and time, age, whatever has not been specified then it's palm in. If other factors have already been identified (such as age, time, date etc.) then it would be palm out.
 
My palm doesn't actually face all the way out or all the in in either instance. Same with my fingerspelling. People who sign all the time generally don't worry too much about the little technicalities like that. We understand it just fine. Same as when people who speak English drop the "g" off of "ing" and such. You still know exactly what they are saying. If you don't, you ask them to repeat it. Same with a signer.

I guess that is why new signers think fluent signers are hard to understand. We are conversational instead of technical.
 
Hi,

I don't know if it is different in the United States but, in England, the numbers are definitely signed with the palms closest to the signer's body (i.e. in).
 
Instead of guessing, get the book Numbering in American Sign Language, Number Signs for Everyone by DawnSignPress.

There are different ways to sign numbers as cardinals, ordinals, phone numbers, time, address, scores, money, fractions, ages, etc.

Cardinal numbers 1-5 are palm in. Cardinal numbers 6-9 are palm out.

Cardinals in ASL are used for counting and for showing quantities of things.

It's best to properly learn how to sign numbers and become fluent. After the signer becomes fluent, then one can become less "strict" in formations.

Don't try to bend the rules until you are knowledgeable in the rules and fluent in sign production.
 
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