When you summarize everyone’s information in sign language, they point their signs in the direction of the person they are talking about. To show agreement, it is important to point and look at the person you are identifying. To continue to show agreement when sharing information about the person, point your signs in the direction of the person you are talking about. For example, if you want to share information about you and a friend sitting to your right, the information about you is signed directly in front of your body and the information about your friend is signed slightly to the right of your body. To refer to the person sitting across from you, sign the information below to indicate that the information is about the person across from you.
Describing pets:
To describe your pets, follow this sequence:
1. Say what kind of pet it is: dog, cat, bird, etc.
2. Indicate your relative size
– For large dogs, indicate the length and height (from the ground)
– For small dogs and remaining pets (cats, rats, rabbits, fish, turtles) indicate the length only in front of you
– For birds, indicate only the height, again facing you.
– Use your body to describe the pet: main color and distinguishing marks.
Answering yes or no questions:
When answering a yes or no question, it is best to give more than one yes or no answer. For example, by giving an affirmative answer to a question such as “Do you live alone?” it is preferable and appropriate to say “Yes, I live alone” than to simply say “Yes”. Also, when giving a negative answer to the previous question, it is preferable to give additional information, such as “No, I live with my family” or “No, I live with my daughter” than simply saying “No”. Answering “Yes” or “No” makes it seem like you don’t want to bother responding and leaves the other person in the awkward position of feeling nosy. So get in the habit of sharing information to help move the conversation forward.