The sign for 'elope' combines the concepts of escaping and getting married. Start by holding your non-dominant hand open with the palm facing sideways and fingers pointing forward. Place your dominant index finger pointing up between the fingers of your non-dominant hand, then quickly dart it forward and away to sign 'escape.' Next, bring both hands together in front of you and clasp them, with your dominant hand grasping the top of your non-dominant hand, to sign 'marry.'
To express this, you would sign 'they', 'decide', 'elope', 'instead', 'big', and 'wedding'. Because 'elope' is a compound sign meaning 'escape to marry,' it perfectly captures the contrast between sneaking away and hosting a large, traditional wedding ceremony.
Start by pointing to yourself for 'my', then sign 'parents' and 'elope'. Finish by fingerspelling 'V-E-G-A-S' or signing 'Las Vegas'. The quick, darting motion of the 'escape' portion of the sign emphasizes the sudden, spontaneous nature of their wedding.
Sign 'you', 'plan', and 'elope'. Since this is a yes/no question, remember to use the correct non-manual markers: raise your eyebrows, widen your eyes slightly, and lean your head forward while holding the final 'marry' handshape of the sign.
To express this, you would sign 'they', 'decide', 'elope', 'instead', 'big', and 'wedding'. Because 'elope' is a compound sign meaning 'escape to marry,' it perfectly captures the contrast between sneaking away and hosting a large, traditional wedding ceremony.
Start by pointing to yourself for 'my', then sign 'parents' and 'elope'. Finish by fingerspelling 'V-E-G-A-S' or signing 'Las Vegas'. The quick, darting motion of the 'escape' portion of the sign emphasizes the sudden, spontaneous nature of their wedding.
Sign 'you', 'plan', and 'elope'. Since this is a yes/no question, remember to use the correct non-manual markers: raise your eyebrows, widen your eyes slightly, and lean your head forward while holding the final 'marry' handshape of the sign.
While some signers might use the combination of 'secret' and 'marry' to describe the context of a hidden wedding, the compound sign of 'escape' and 'marry' shown here is the most standard and visually accurate way to translate the specific English word 'elope' in ASL.
Yes. In ASL, your dominant hand typically performs the primary action or movement. Your non-dominant hand acts as the stationary base or environment that your dominant index finger 'escapes' from before both hands come together for the 'marry' portion.
It is helpful to lightly mouth the word 'elope' while performing the sign. Because the literal translation of the hand movements is 'escape marry,' mouthing the English word helps clarify your exact meaning to the person you are chatting with.
