Form your dominant hand into an 'open 8' handshape by extending your fingers and bending your middle finger forward. Place the tip of your bent middle finger on the top of your head. Move your hand in a small circular motion, keeping the middle finger in contact with your head.
Sign 'MY GRANDFATHER' followed by the sign for 'BALD', using the circular motion on the top of your head to describe his physical appearance.
You can sign 'HE BECOME BALD' to express the transition. Emphasize the 'BALD' sign with a slight nod to confirm the description of his hair loss.
For 'bald eagle', you sign 'BALD' and then immediately sign 'EAGLE'. Make sure your middle finger clearly traces the top of your head before moving down to your nose for the eagle sign.
Sign 'MY GRANDFATHER' followed by the sign for 'BALD', using the circular motion on the top of your head to describe his physical appearance.
You can sign 'HE BECOME BALD' to express the transition. Emphasize the 'BALD' sign with a slight nod to confirm the description of his hair loss.
For 'bald eagle', you sign 'BALD' and then immediately sign 'EAGLE'. Make sure your middle finger clearly traces the top of your head before moving down to your nose for the eagle sign.
While the standard sign involves lightly touching the top of your head with your middle finger, you can also perform the sign by hovering just a fraction of an inch above your hair. This is especially useful if you don't want to mess up your hairstyle!
No, you should use your middle finger. The 'open 8' handshape, with the middle finger bent forward, is the standard and correct handshape for this sign. Using the index finger changes the mechanics of the sign and looks unnatural to fluent signers.
Yes! In ASL, the animal 'bald eagle' is typically signed by combining this exact sign for 'BALD' (rubbing the top of the head) with the sign for 'EAGLE' (tapping a hooked index finger on your nose).
