To sign 'how old are you', start by signing 'old'. Bring your dominant hand near your chin, then pull it downward while closing your fingers into a fist, as if pulling a long beard. Next, point your index finger directly at the person to sign 'you'. Crucially, keep your eyebrows furrowed the entire time, as this is the grammatical marker for a 'wh-question' in ASL.
Sign 'hello', then transition into 'old' and 'you' while furrowing your eyebrows to ask the question.
Sign 'I forget', then furrow your eyebrows and sign 'old' followed by 'you'.
Sign 'my brother want know', then pause slightly, furrow your eyebrows, and sign 'old' and 'you'.
Sign 'hello', then transition into 'old' and 'you' while furrowing your eyebrows to ask the question.
Sign 'I forget', then furrow your eyebrows and sign 'old' followed by 'you'.
Sign 'my brother want know', then pause slightly, furrow your eyebrows, and sign 'old' and 'you'.
No, you do not need a separate sign for 'how'. In ASL, the concept is efficiently conveyed by combining the sign for 'old' with the furrowed eyebrow facial expression.
In ASL, facial expressions provide grammatical structure. Furrowed eyebrows are the specific non-manual marker used to indicate 'wh-questions' (who, what, where, when, why, how).
Yes! If you are looking directly at the person and have your eyebrows furrowed, simply signing 'old' is perfectly understood as 'how old are you?' in context.
