"party" American Sign Language (ASL)

American Sign Language: "party" The sign PARTY can be done with either "Y" handshapes or with "P" handshapes. A colleague emailed me to say that "PARTY" and "PLAY" are distinguished by differences in the movement of the signs: PLAY: Arms stay stationary, wrists twist. PARTY: Wrists stay straight, arms swing back and forth. Of course, as is my way, I immediately started surveying a large number of skilled signers as to how they did the sign PARTY. After quite a bit of research it seems fairly certain to me that both the "swinging" version and the "twisting" version are in widespread use and as time goes on the versions of "PARTY" that use a twisting movement are becoming increasingly popular. An interesting note told to me by one of my interviewees, Erika Geiger (d/Deaf), was that while she was a student at CSD (Fresno) her class was planning an event. During a planning meeting the students began discussing having a party as part of the event. Erika did the sign "PARTY" using "P" hands and a twisting movement. Her teacher replied that "ahem" it was going to be a "party" not a "partay!" (using "P" hands and a shaking movement), (spelling intentional.) Erika explained to me how the teacher deliberately inflected an "old stuffy" sign for PARTY (a controlled, somewhat slower, larger, side to side swinging movement using "P" hands) to emphasize that this would be a classy "party" and not a rowdy party. PARTY Variation 1: Do a side to side swinging movement using "Y" hands. Insert graphic here: PARTY Variation 2: Do a side to side swinging movement using "P" hands. Insert graphic here: PARTY Variation 3: Do a twisting movement using "P" hands. PARTY Variation 4: Do a twisting movement using "Y" hands Note: This is the same sign as "PLAY." Optional Reading (not needed for class) In a message dated 1/18/2006 2:16:06 PM Pacific Standard Time, Anita.Oleksy@_________.edu writes: I was watching "Sue Thomas, F B Eye" last week and stepped away for a minute. I got back in time to hear "what's that sign?" "It means 'Party Pooper'"-but I didn't see the sign clearly. Do you know a sign for that? It looked like a two-part sign, and part of it may have been "boring". Could be a fun sign. I work at Salt Lake Community College. I am "relearning" Sign Language after a 30-year "hiatus". (Learned some sign at a former job. My department now has a "Fast Track" program for training interpreters, and the coordinator and support person are Deaf. Another coworker is an student interpreter.) Great website, by the way. --Anita Hello Anita, Hmmm, "party pooper" eh? I don't recall seeing a specific sign or set of signs for that. I just asked Belinda, my wife, heh...she didn't know of a specific sign or set of signs that was regularly associated with the English phrase "party pooper." I'll ask around though. If I find one, I'll let you know. If you find one, let me know. Did you ask any of your SLCC people yet? Bill Anita, I've asked around and it seems the consensus pretty much as expressed by one of my coworkers, (Dr. Don Grushkin), he writes: I, too don't know of any sign for this. If you do find one, let me know, although I suspect you won't -- my curiosity is piqued.... It is my suspicion that whatever Deanne Bray signed on the show was probably an "ad hoc" set of signs which could be interpreted as "party pooper" but is not a conventionalized term (although if it spreads then it would be...). --DonG. In a message dated 1/20/2006 10:12:43 AM Pacific Standard Time, lbouss@.edu writes: same here but i vaguely recall someone locally or out-towner signed like "party-complain" or "party-bored"... again that cld be my imagination, sigh... Lyes Bousseloub You can learn American Sign Language (ASL) online at American Sign Language University ™ ASL resources by Lifeprint.com © Dr. William Vicars Want to help support ASL University? It's easy: DONATE (Thanks!) (You don't need a PayPal account. Just look for the credit card logos and click continue.) Another way to help is to buy Dr. Bill's "Superdisk." Dr. Bill's new iPhone "Fingerspelling Practice" app is now available! CHECK IT OUT > Want even more ASL resources? Visit the "ASL Training Center!" (Subscription Extension of ASLU) CHECK IT OUT > Bandwidth slow? Check out "ASLUniversity.com" (a free mirror of Lifeprint.com less traffic, fast access) VISIT >

American Sign Language: "party"

The sign PARTY can be done with either "Y" handshapes or with "P" handshapes.
A colleague emailed me to say that "PARTY" and "PLAY" are distinguished by differences in the movement of the signs:
PLAY: Arms stay stationary, wrists twist.
PARTY: Wrists stay straight, arms swing back and forth.
Of course, as is my way, I immediately started surveying a large number of skilled signers as to how they did the sign PARTY.
After quite a bit of research it seems fairly certain to me that both the "swinging" version and the "twisting" version are in widespread use and as time goes on the versions of "PARTY" that use a twisting movement are becoming increasingly popular.

An interesting note told to me by one of my interviewees, Erika Geiger (d/Deaf), was that while she was a student at CSD (Fresno) her class was planning an event. During a planning meeting the students began discussing having a party as part of the event. Erika did the sign "PARTY" using "P" hands and a twisting movement. Her teacher replied that "ahem" it was going to be a "party" not a "partay!" (using "P" hands and a shaking movement), (spelling intentional.) Erika explained to me how the teacher deliberately inflected an "old stuffy" sign for PARTY (a controlled, somewhat slower, larger, side to side swinging movement using "P" hands) to emphasize that this would be a classy "party" and not a rowdy party.

PARTY
Variation 1:
Do a side to side swinging movement using "Y" hands.
Insert graphic here:

PARTY
Variation 2:
Do a side to side swinging movement using "P" hands.
Insert graphic here:

PARTY
Variation 3:
Do a twisting movement using "P" hands.

PARTY
Variation 4:
Do a twisting movement using "Y" hands
Note: This is the same sign as "PLAY."

Optional Reading (not needed for class)

In a message dated 1/18/2006 2:16:06 PM Pacific Standard Time, Anita.Oleksy@_________.edu writes:
I was watching "Sue Thomas, F B Eye" last week and stepped away for a minute. I got back in time to hear "what's that sign?" "It means 'Party Pooper'"-but I didn't see the sign clearly. Do you know a sign for that? It looked like a two-part sign, and part of it may have been "boring". Could be a fun sign.
I work at Salt Lake Community College. I am "relearning" Sign Language after a 30-year "hiatus". (Learned some sign at a former job. My department now has a "Fast Track" program for training interpreters, and the coordinator and support person are Deaf. Another coworker is an student interpreter.)
Great website, by the way.
--Anita

Hello Anita,
Hmmm, "party pooper" eh? I don't recall seeing a specific sign or set of signs for that. I just asked Belinda, my wife, heh...she didn't know of a specific sign or set of signs that was regularly associated with the English phrase "party pooper."
I'll ask around though. If I find one, I'll let you know. If you find one, let me know. Did you ask any of your SLCC people yet?
Bill

Anita,
I've asked around and it seems the consensus pretty much as expressed by one of my coworkers, (Dr. Don Grushkin), he writes:

I, too don't know of any sign for this. If you do find one, let me know, although I suspect you won't -- my curiosity is piqued.... It is my suspicion that whatever Deanne Bray signed on the show was probably an "ad hoc" set of signs which could be interpreted as "party pooper" but is not a conventionalized term (although if it spreads then it would be...).
--DonG.

In a message dated 1/20/2006 10:12:43 AM Pacific Standard Time, lbouss@.edu writes:

same here but i vaguely recall someone locally or out-towner signed like "party-complain" or "party-bored"... again that cld be my imagination, sigh...

Lyes Bousseloub

You can learn American Sign Language (ASL) online at American Sign Language University ™
ASL resources by Lifeprint.com © Dr. William Vicars

Want to help support ASL University? It's easy: DONATE (Thanks!)
(You don't need a PayPal account. Just look for the credit card logos and click continue.)

Another way to help is to buy Dr. Bill's "Superdisk."

Dr. Bill's new iPhone "Fingerspelling Practice" app is now available! CHECK IT OUT >

Want even more ASL resources? Visit the "ASL Training Center!" (Subscription Extension of ASLU) CHECK IT OUT >

Bandwidth slow? Check out "ASLUniversity.com" (a free mirror of Lifeprint.com less traffic, fast access) VISIT >