Alright, let’s talk about my little ASL adventure today. See, I got curious about how folks sign stuff related to marriage – like the actual concept and those handy signs people really use. Felt like something practical to learn, you know? Something folks might actually need.
Started With The Basics: “Marriage”
I remember seeing the sign for “marriage” ages ago. Thought it was easy. You just clasp your hands together like sweethearts, right? Well, apparently muscle memory ain’t my friend yet. Sat down at my desk, pulled up my usual ASL dictionary sites (just the usual ones, nothing fancy), and hit play on that video. Yep, hands together, knuckles touching, maybe a little wiggle? Cool. Thought I nailed it in two seconds. Simple.
But then I kept watching. Different angles, different instructors. Realized sometimes it’s flat hands coming together, sometimes fists. Slight variations. Made me pause. Was my hand clasp smooth enough? Did it look more like I was praying than getting hitched? Practiced clasping and unclasping my hands like a fidgety groom until the motion felt kinda smooth. Okay, filed that one away as “probably got it.”
Diving Deeper: The Practical Stuff
“Marriage” is neat, but what next? What signs pop up around marriage? What would actually be useful if someone needed to talk about family? Started looking beyond the core concept.
Husband: Ah, this one! Video showed tapping your thumb near your temple, like saluting? Made sense – like the hat tip thing, I guess. Tried it. Felt awkward. My taps were either too high on my forehead or too low near my ear. Looked ridiculous. Seriously felt like I was trying to squash a bug on my temple at first. Took several clumsy tries just to get my thumb reliably tapping the right spot without looking like I had a nervous tic.
Wife: Similar deal, but tap the cheekbone. Softer motion. Thought, “Cool, got it.” Nope. First attempts were either too close to my ear or looked like I was trying to scratch my nose awkwardly. Tried tapping my cheek. Too low. Realized the spot is basically the corner of your eye, under? Felt my cheekbone, found the spot. Focused on a gentle tap. Still feels a bit delicate.
Marry: So, turns out “marry” is basically the verb form. Hands clasp together, same as the noun “marriage,” maybe with a smoother movement bringing them together? Practiced it a few times, trying to make it flow like one action. Still, felt pretty similar to “marriage.” Good enough for everyday use, I figured.
Engaged: Loved this one! Saw it described as putting a ring on your finger. Visual, easy to remember. Immediately tried it – pretended to slip a ring onto my left ring finger. Bam. Simple, clear. Probably the easiest one I learned all day. Felt instantly confident with this sign.
Divorce: Hoo boy. This one surprised me. It’s a visual breaking apart. Hands clasped together like “marriage,” then forcefully pull them apart, usually twisting? Looked simple, but making that break look intentional and not just like my hands slipped was weird. First attempts felt limp. Tried a sharper, clearer separation. Yep, better. Still, signing “divorce” feels kind of harsh after practicing all the happy union stuff. But hey, reality is reality.
Putting It All Together (Sort Of)
After hacking away at each sign individually like I was assembling IKEA furniture without the instructions – okay, mostly figured out, maybe missing a screw or two – I tried to sign a simple practice sentence in front of my bathroom mirror.
“My brother… engaged… marry… his… uh… girlfriend… who is… future wife?”
Fingers stumbled. Blanked on which sign “is” uses (didn’t bother, skipped it). Went back to “engaged,” then tried “marry,” then “wife.” Probably looked like a confused mime. Especially “girlfriend” – realized I didn’t even look that one up! Brain freeze. Gave up on the sentence.
Just practiced repeating the 5 signs I focused on today, one after another: Husband. Wife. Marry. Engaged. Divorce. Over and over. Still felt like my “husband” and “wife” taps needed work. “Divorce” still needed that extra oomph. But seeing them in sequence helped me remember the basic forms.
Final Thoughts
Honestly? It was messier than I expected. Thought I’d breeze through these signs. Nope. Each one had its own little “huh?” moment. Focusing on just these five core signs around marriage turned out to be the right call. If I’d tried to learn a dozen at once, my brain would have leaked out my ears.
The takeaway? Those little practical signs like relationship terms? They sneak in details. Just grabbing the first video isn’t always enough; gotta watch a few angles, feel the motion. Biggest surprise? “Engaged” felt instantly natural, “husband” and “wife” needed way more fine-tuning than I thought. Practice definitely ain’t always pretty, but hey, a couple more coffee breaks and mirror sessions should get me closer. At least I can signal “engaged” clearly now if anyone asks!
