At the opposite end of the spectrum is “Signed Exact English,” in which every word is signed, using the same grammar and sentence structure as spoken English. However, this gets very tiring for everyone involved, and it uses signs that aren’t in true ASL (such as the “to be” verbs).

For that reason, when a conversation is going on between deaf and hearing people, it’s often in an adapted form that is called “pidgin sign” or “contact signing” or “signed English.” The word order stays fairly close to spoken English, but the “to be” verbs are dropped and thoughts are occasionally phrased in ways that are closer to true ASL grammar.

I can usually make myself understood with my signing … but my “receptive signing” skills (the ability to understand when someone is signing to me) are very weak, because I don’t often get the opportunity to actually have conversations with anyone in sign language. There is a Deaf Meetup in Greensboro (30 miles north of me) that meets an average of twice a month … but now that I’m unemployed — and gas prices are going up — it’s becoming harder to justify the expense of attending the meetings.