the sign 'can't' uses both hands. ball both hands into fists, leaving the index fingers extended. bring the hands up to chest height, with the fingers pointed out. bring the dominant index finger up, then down so it hits the top of the non-dominant index finger. as you do this, shake your head.
To sign this, you would point to yourself, sign 'go', and then firmly strike your dominant index finger down onto your non-dominant index finger while shaking your head to show you are unable to attend.
After pointing to the food and signing 'eat', bring your hands to chest height with index fingers extended. Strike your dominant finger down onto the non-dominant one and shake your head to express that you cannot eat it.
Sign 'shoes' and 'find', then execute the 'can't' sign. Make sure your non-dominant index finger stays steady while the dominant one strikes it, and don't forget the negative head shake!
To sign this, you would point to yourself, sign 'go', and then firmly strike your dominant index finger down onto your non-dominant index finger while shaking your head to show you are unable to attend.
After pointing to the food and signing 'eat', bring your hands to chest height with index fingers extended. Strike your dominant finger down onto the non-dominant one and shake your head to express that you cannot eat it.
Sign 'shoes' and 'find', then execute the 'can't' sign. Make sure your non-dominant index finger stays steady while the dominant one strikes it, and don't forget the negative head shake!
Yes! In ASL, shaking your head is a crucial non-manual marker for negation. Even if your hands are perfectly formed, leaving out the head shake makes the sign feel incomplete and can confuse the person you are signing with.
Your dominant hand—the hand you naturally write or eat with—should be the one moving up and striking down. Your non-dominant hand simply stays still at chest height to act as the base.
You want a firm, crisp tap to show the abruptness of the word 'can't', but it definitely shouldn't hurt! A gentle but deliberate strike of the dominant index finger against the non-dominant one is all you need.
