Profanity In American Sign Language - Wikipedia

Jump to content

Contents

move to sidebar hide

• (Top)
• 1 Examples
• 2 See also
• 3 References

• Article
• Talk

English

• Read
• Edit
• View history

Tools Tools move to sidebar hide Actions

• Read
• Edit
• View history

General

• What links here
• Related changes
• Upload file
• Permanent link
• Page information
• Cite this page
• Get shortened URL
• Download QR code

Print/export

• Download as PDF
• Printable version

In other projects

• Wikibooks
• Wikidata item

Appearance move to sidebar hide From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (March 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: "Profanity in American Sign Language" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (May 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

American Sign Language (ASL), the sign language used by the deaf community throughout most of North America, has a rich vocabulary of terms, which include profanity. Within deaf culture, there is a distinction drawn between signs used to curse versus signs that are used to describe sexual acts. In usage, signs to describe detailed sexual behavior are highly taboo due to their graphic nature. As for the signs themselves, some signs do overlap, but they may also vary according to usage. For example, the sign for "shit" when used to curse is different from the sign for "shit" when used to describe the bodily function or the fecal matter.

Examples

[edit]

• The back of dominant open b-handshape flipped out under chin literally means "so what?" Using a middle finger as the 'classic' flipping of the bird has a different meaning. In the 1980s, the myth was made that the b-handshape flipped under the chin was a sign of saying "Fuck you". Some linguists contend that when the middle finger is used directionally, and pointed at someone or something, it becomes a sign. Another common sign for "fuck" uses an "FK" abbreviation, signed with an f-handshape changing to a k-handshape, which is referred to as a "loan sign". A "loan sign" is when a fingerspelled word is modified to leave out letters, form a specific shape, or move in a specific direction to become an actual sign(1).[citation needed]
• "Whore," "slut," or "prostitute" is signed by waving an open hand on the side of the chin front to back (fingers cupped in a c form, but thumb out). The hand passes below and to the side of the chin twice. More commonly, the back of the "B" hand brushes the cheek, twice.[citation needed]
• "Dick" is a "d" handshape tapping the nose.[citation needed]
• The thumb/index finger side of a b-handshape struck against the chin means "bitch" (contact point is the side of the index finger). "Bastard" can be produced by doing the same sign but locating it on the forehead. The sign for "bitch" is often confused for the English sign "be" or the sign "breakfast".[citation needed]
• Touching the p-handshape middle finger to the nose tip then bringing it out to "F" (done with one hand) means "piss off". This sign creates the meaning of "piss off" by combining the sign for "penis/piss" and abbreviating "O-F-F" by using simply one "F". [citation needed]
• "Fuck" as a sexual connotation is signed by taking two v-shaped hands and tapping them twice (dominant hand on top) to emulate two people's legs. This sign also means "sex". The diction is determined by nonmanual markers. This sign is often confused for "gender".[citation needed]
• The word "fuck" as in "fuck you" is signed by holding the middle finger towards someone and then pointing it at them.
• Holding a d-handshape in front of the body with the index finger pointing somewhat forward and to the left and the palm pointing somewhat down, then shoving the hand quickly down and to the right in an arc as if condemning someone to hell signifies "damn" The sign properly ends pointing mostly down and off to the right a bit. Doing this sign with an "H" means "hell".[citation needed]
• A common misconception is the sign for "bullshit". Signed with both arms held out, elbows bent, and folded in front of the signer with the dominant forearm on top, the dominant hand mimics a pair of horns with the index and pinkie finger. The non-dominant hand mimics the "business end" with flapping fingers. This sign is not considered part of ASL. It is, however, part of New Zealand Sign Language.[1] The correct sign in ASL is performed with both the pointer and pinkie finger being extended and thrusting the hand forward to signify "bullshit". An alternative is to make a "C" around the nose, rotate the "C", and then close the hand in a fist and face the palm to the nose. These signs are, however, not used as jokes. To sign the equivalent of a joking "that's BS," you simply sign the letters B-S.[citation needed]
• The well-known OK gesture, when held with the thumb on top at the level of the chest means "asshole", as seen in the film Mr. Holland's Opus. Asshole can also be signed by tapping an A on the side of the head twice. Also, by rocking "F" sign downward from the wrist, twice.[citation needed]
• The common sign for the noun "shit" is the thumbs-up signal with one hand, the other hand grasping the thumb and pulling upwards. The exclamation "shit" is signed by jamming the thumb of the dominant hand, on top, into a fist on the other hand.[citation needed]

See also

[edit]

American Sign Language/Profanity at Wikibooks

• Idioms in American Sign Language
• The finger – Obscene raising of the middle finger

References

[edit]

1. ^ "NZSL Online: Bullshit".

• Valli, Clayton; Lucas, Ceil (2001). Linguistics of American Sign Language. Washington DC: Gallaudet University Press.

v t e Sign language
List of sign languages List by number of signers
Languagefamilies[a]	Sign languages by family Australian Aboriginal (multiple families)[c] Diyari Djingili Eltye eltyarrenke Iltyeme iltyeme Jaralde Kalkutungu Miriwoong Mudburra Pitha Pitha Rdaka rdaka Umpila Far North Queensland Warlmanpa Warluwara Warramunga Worora Kinship Yan-nhaŋu Yir Yoront Yolŋu Western Desert Kartutjarra Manjiljarra Ngaatjatjarra Zendath Kesign Meriam Western Torres Strait Islander Arab (Ishaaric) Egyptian Kuwaiti Libyan Qatari Unified Yemeni Iraqi– Levantine Iraqi Levantine Jordanian Lebanese Palestinian Syrian Possible Emirati Saudi Omani Chinese Sign Chinese (CSL/ZGS) Shanghai Hong Kong (HKSL) Macau Chilean-Paraguayan- Uruguayan Sign Chilean (LSCh) Paraguayan- Uruguayan Sign Paraguay (LSPY) Uruguay (LSU) Francosign Algerian (LSA) Swiss-German (DSGS) Estonian (Eesti viipekeel) Irish (ISL) Australian-Irish Brazilian (Libras) Lithuanian Catalan (LSC) Valencian (LSV) French (LSF) Old French[c] Romanian (LSR) American (ASLic) American (ASL) Black ASL (BASL) Protactile Bolivian Burmese Yangon Mandalay Cambodian Costa Rican Dominican Guyanese Jamaican Malaysian (BIM) Panamanian Filipino (FSL) Puerto Rican (PRSL) Singapore (SgSL) Indonesian (Nusantaric) Indonesian (Bisindo) Jakarta Yogyakarta Francophone African(Françafrosign) Ethiopian Chadian Ghanaian Guinean Bamako (LaSiMa) Moroccan Nigerian Sierra Leonean Mixed, Hand Talk Oneida (OSL) Mixed, Hoailona ʻŌlelo Creole Hawaiʻi Sign Language (CHSL) Mixed, French (LSF) Greek (ΕΝΓ/ENG) Cypriot (ΚΝΓ/KNG) Quebec (LSQ) Austro- Hungarian Czech (ČZJ) Hungarian (Magyar Jelnyev) Austrian (ÖGS) Slovak (SPJ) Ukrainian (УЖМ/USL) Russian Sign Azerbaijani (AİD) Bulgarian (БЖЕ) Georgian Kazakh-Russian (KSL/KRSL) Latvian (LSL) Mongolian Russian (РЖЯ) Yugoslavic Sign Croatian (HZJ) Kosovar Serbian Slovenian Yugoslav (YSL) Dutch Sign Dutch (NGT) Gambian Italian Sign Italian (LIS) Tunisian (TSL) Mexican Sign Mexican (LSM) Honduran (LESHO) Old Belgian Flemish (VGT) French Belgian (LSFB) Danish (Tegnic) Malagasy Icelandic (Táknmál) Norwegian (Tegnspråk) Danish (Tegnsprog) Faroese (Teknmál) Viet-Thai Hai Phong Hanoi Ho Chi Minh Thai (TSL/MSTSL) Hand Talk Great Basin Northeast Plains Sign Talk Southeast Southwest Mixed, American (ASL) Oneida (OSL) Plateau A'aninin Kalispel Ktunaxa (ʾa·qanⱡiⱡⱡitnam) Nesilextcl'n Shuswap (Secwepemcékst) Sqeliz Indo-Pakistani Sign Bangalore-Madras Beluchistan Bengali Bombay Calcutta Delhi Nepali North West Frontier Province Punjab-Sindh Japanese Sign Japanese (JSL/Nihon Shuwa) Korean (KSL/Hanguk Sueo) Taiwanese (TSL/Taiwan Shouyu) Kentish[c] Old Kentish Chilmark Martha's Vineyard (MVSL) Maya (Meemul Tziij /Meemul Ch'aab'al) Highland Maya Yucatec Chicán Nohkop Nohya Trascorral Cepeda Peraza NW Eurosign BANZSL Auslan Papua New Guinean (PNGSL) British (BSL) Northern Ireland (NISL) Fijian Maritime (MSL) New Zealand (NZSL) Samoan South African (SASL) Swedish Sign Eritrean (EriSL) Finland-Swedish (FinSSL) Portuguese (LGP) Cape Verdian (LGC) São Tomé and Príncipean (LGSTP) Swedish (Teckenspråk) Finnish (Viittomakieli) German Sign German (DGS) Polish (PJM) Israeli (Shassi) Original Thai Sign Chiangmai Hai Phong Old Bangkok Paget Gorman Namibian (NSL) Providencia– Cayman Sign Providence Island (Provisle) Old Cayman (Guyanese) Isolates Afghan Al-Sayyid Bedouin (ABSL) Albanian (AlbSL) Albarradas Sign Language Alipur Argentine (LSA) Armenian Caucasian (Harsneren)[c] Bay Islands Belizean Berbey Bhutanese Bouakako (LaSiBo) Bribri Brunca Bura Carhuahuaran Cena Central Taurus (CTSL/OTİD) Chatino Chiriqui Cuban (LSC) Dogon/Douentza Ecuadorian (LSEC) Enga Ghandruk Ghardaia (AJSL) Guatemalan (Lensegua) Guinea-Bissau Henniker[c] Hausa (HSL/Magannar Hannu) Hawaiʻi (Hoailona ʻŌlelo) Creole HSL Inuit Inuit Uukturausingit (IUR) Greenlandic (Ussersuataarneq) Jhankot Jumla Ka'apor Kajana Kafr Qasim Kailge Kata Kolok Kenyan (KSL/LAK) Somali (SSL) Keresan Pueblo (KPISL/Keresign) Kisindo Jamaican Country (KS/Konchri Sain) Macedonian Malawian Maltese (LSM) Mardin Maroua Maunabudhuk–Bodhe Mauritian (MSL) M'bour Mehek Miyakubo Shuwa Burkina (Mossi) Mount Avejaha Mozambican Naga Navajo/Diné Family Nicaraguan (ISN) Old Costa Rican Orocovis (LSOR) Ottoman (Seraglio/Harem) Ban Khor (Pasa kidd) Penang Persian (Esharani) Peruvian (LSP) Inmaculada Qahveh Khaneh Rennellese[c] Rossel Island Rwandan (AKR/AMR) Sandy River Valley[c] Salvadoran (LESSA) Sawmill Sinasina (SSSL) Sivia South Rupununi Spanish (LSE) Tebul Terena Tibetan (Bökyi lagda) Trinidad and Tobago (TTSL) Turkish (TİD) Ugandan (USL) Venezuelan (LSV/VSL) Wanib West African Adamorobe (AdaSL/Mumu kasa) Bura (Burasl) Mofu-Gudur Nanabin (NanabinSL) Yoruban (YSL) Zambian (ZSL) Other groupings Amami Shuwa languages Ethiopian languages Laotian languages Rwandan languages Sri Lankan languages Sudanese languages (~150)[b] Tanzanian languages (7+)[b] Zimsign languages International Sign Village languages
By region[a]	Sign languages by region Africa Algeria Algerian Ghardaia Cameroon Maroua Cape Verde Cape Verdian (LGC) Ghana Adamorobe (AdaSL / Mumu kasa) Nanabin Ivory Coast Bouakako (LaSiBo) Kenya Kenyan Malawi Malawian Mali Bamako (LaSiMa) Berbey Tebul Mozambique Mozambican Nigeria Bura Hausa (Magannar Hannu) Rwanda Rwandan (Amarenga) São Tomé and Príncipe São Tomé and Príncipean (LGSTP) Senegal Mbour Somalia, Somaliland & Djibouti Somali South Africa South African Tanzania Tanzanian Uganda Ugandan Zambia Zambian Asia Bengal Bengali Cambodia Cambodian China Chinese Hong Kong Hong Kong (HKSL) India Alipur Bengali Indo-Pakistani Naga Indonesia Indonesian Kata Kolok (Benkala, Balinese) Iran Iranian (Esharani) Qahveh Khaneh Iraq Iraqi Kurdish Israel Al-Sayyid Bedouin Ghardaia Israeli Kafr Qasem Japan Japanese Koniya Miyakubo Korea Korean Kazakhstan Kazakh-Russian Laos Laotian Malaysia Malaysian Penang Selangor Maldives Maldives Mongolia Mongolian Nepal Ghandruk Jhankot Jumla Maunabudhuk–Bodhe Nepalese Philippines Filipino Saudi Arabia Saudi Singapore Singapore Sri Lanka Sri Lankan Taiwan Taiwanese Tajikistan Russian Tibet Tibetan (Bökyi lagda) Thailand Old Bangkok Chiangmai Thai Ban Khor (Pasa kidd) Vietnam Vietnamese Europe Armenia Armenian Austria Austrian Azerbaijan Azerbaijani Belgium Flemish French Belgian United Kingdom British Croatia Croatian Denmark Danish Faroese (Teknmál) Estonia Estonian Finland Finnish France Ghardaia French Lyons Georgia Georgian Germany German Greece Greek Hungary Hungarian Iceland Icelandic Ireland Irish Italy Italian Kosovo Yugoslav (Kosovar) Latvia Latvian Lithuania Lithuanian Moldova Russian Netherlands Dutch North Macedonia Macedonian Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Norway Norwegian Poland Polish Portugal Portuguese Russia Russian Slovenia Slovenian Spain Catalan Spanish Valencian Sweden Swedish Switzerland Swiss-German Turkey Central Taurus (CTSL/OTİD) Mardin Turkish Ukraine Ukrainian North andCentralAmerica Belize Belizean Canada American (ASL) Black ASL Protactile Hand Talk Oneida (OSL) Plateau Inuit (IUR) Maritime (MSL) Sawmill Quebec Cayman Old Cayman Costa Rica Bribri Brunca Old Costa Rican New Costa Rican Cuba Cuban Greenland Greenlandic (Ussersuataarneq) Guatemala Guatemalan Mayan Haiti Haitian Honduras Bay Islands Honduran Mexico Albarradas Chatino Mayan Mexican Nicaragua Nicaraguan Panama Chiriqui Panamanian Puerto Rico (USA) American (ASL) Puerto Rican Orocovis El Salvador Salvadoran (LESSO) Old Salvadoran United States American (ASL) Black ASL Protactile Hand Talk Oneida (OSL) Plateau Henniker Keresan (Keresign) Martha's Vineyard Navajo Family Sandy River Valley Sawmill Oceania Australia Akitiri (Eltye eltyarrenke) Arrernte (Iltyeme iltyeme) Auslan Australian-Irish Manjiljarra Mudbura (Mudburra) Ngada Umpila Far North Queensland Warlmanpa Warlpiri (Rdaka rdaka) Warumungu (Warramunga) Western Desert Western Torres Strait Islander Yir Yoront Yolŋu Hawaii (USA) Hawaiʻan (Haoilona ʻŌlelo) New Zealand New Zealand (NZSL) Papua New Guinea Enga Kailge Mehek Mount Avejaha Papua New Guinean (PNGSL) Rossel Island Sinasina Wanib Samoa and American Samoa Samoan South America Argentina Argentine (LSA) Bolivia Bolivian Brazil Brazilian (Libras) Cena Ka'apor South Rupununi Terena Chile Chilean Colombia Colombian Provisle Ecuador Ecuadorian Guyana Guyanese South Rupununi Paraguay Paraguayan Peru Carhuahuaran Inmaculada Peruvian Sivia Suriname Kajana Uruguay Uruguayan Venezuela Venezuelan International International Sign Makaton Monastic Signalong
ASL	Grammar Idioms Literature Profanity Name signs
Extinct languages	Chilmark Diyari Jaralde Kalkutungu Henniker Sign Language Martha's Vineyard Old French Old Kent Plateau Sign Language Pitha Pitha Sandy River Valley Sign Language Warluwara
Linguistics	Grammar (ASL) Bimodal bilingualism Phonology (ASL) Handshape / Location / Orientation / Movement / Expression Mouthing Nonmanual feature Sign names Home sign
Fingerspelling	American British (two-handed) Catalan Chilean Esperanto French German Hungarian Irish Japanese Korean Polish Russian Serbo-Croatian Spanish Ukrainian Portuguese
Writing	ASL-phabet Hamburg Notation System Stokoe notation SignWriting si5s ASLwrite ()
Language contact	Contact sign Initialized sign Mouthing Signed Oral Languages Indian Signing System Manually coded English Manually coded language in South Africa Manually Coded Malay Paget Gorman Sign System Signed Dutch Signed French Signed German Signed Italian Signed Japanese Signed Polish Signed Spanish Signing Exact English Signed Swedish Others Bilingual–bicultural education Manually coded language
Media	Films (list) Television shows (list)
Persons	Jabbar Baghtcheban Jeanette Berglind Pär Aron Borg Thomas Braidwood Laurent Clerc Abbé de l'Épée Roger Fouts Valerie Sutton Thomas Gallaudet Abbé Sicard William Stokoe Pierre Pélissier
Organisations	Association of Visual Language Interpreters of Canada International Center on Deafness and the Arts Mimics and Gesture Theatre World Association of Sign Language Interpreters
Miscellaneous	Baby sign language CHCI chimpanzee center (Washoe, Loulis) Open Outcry Legal recognition U.S. Army hand and arm signals Monastic sign languages Tactile signing Protactile Tic-tac
^a Sign-language names reflect the region of origin. Natural sign languages are not related to the spoken language used in the same region. For example, French Sign Language originated in France, but is not related to French. Conversely, ASL and BSL both originated in English-speaking countries but are not related to each other; ASL however is related to French Sign Language. ^b Denotes the number (if known) of languages within the family. No further information is given on these languages. ^c Italics indicate extinct languages.

v t e Profanity
By language	American Sign Language Cantonese Dutch Esperanto Finnish Georgian German Hindi-Urdu Hokkien Italian Japanese Korean Latin Mandarin Chinese Norwegian Polish Portuguese Quebec French Romanian Russian Sinhala Spanish Swedish Tagalog
Devices	Bleep censor Broadcast delay Expletive deleted Grawlix Swear jar Wordfilter
Other	Expletive attributive Expletive infixation Fighting words Four-letter word Hypoalgesic effect of swearing Maledicta Maledictology Minced oath Pardon my French Profane Swearing Act 1694 Profanity in science fiction Scunthorpe problem Seven dirty words List of ethnic slurs
Category

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Profanity_in_American_Sign_Language&oldid=1294970560" Categories:

• American Sign Language
• Profanity by language

Hidden categories:

• Articles with short description
• Short description with empty Wikidata description
• Articles lacking in-text citations from March 2019
• All articles lacking in-text citations
• Articles needing additional references from May 2025
• All articles needing additional references
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from March 2019

Search Search Toggle the table of contents Profanity in American Sign Language Add languages Add topic