How to Sign "Hurricane"
To sign "hurricane," form both hands into "L" shapes with your thumbs and index fingers extended, while curling your other fingers inward. Hold your hands in front of your chest, placing one slightly above the other with the fingers pointing in opposite directions. Rotate your hands around each other in a continuous, swirling motion to mimic the spinning winds of a storm. Don't forget to use an intense facial expression, such as squinting your eyes, to convey the severity of the weather.
Visual Logic(Etymology)
This sign is highly iconic and visually motivated. The hands are positioned to represent the opposing forces of wind, and the continuous, swirling rotation directly mimics the spinning, circular motion of a hurricane or cyclone as it gathers strength and moves across the ocean.
Signing Tips
Your facial expression is just as important as your hand movements when signing weather words in ASL. To show a massive, destructive hurricane, make the swirling motion larger and faster while squinting your eyes and tightening your lips to show intensity. For a smaller or distant storm, keep the rotation tighter and your face slightly more relaxed.
Common Mistakes
A common mistake is letting your hands touch or crash into each other while rotating. Keep a small amount of space between your hands so they can swirl fluidly around each other. Another frequent beginner mistake is forgetting the facial expression entirely, which leaves the sign feeling incomplete and lacking the context of a severe storm.
Regional Variations
This sign is widely used and understood across the ASL community with minimal regional variation.
Examples Using "Hurricane" in a Sentence
1We need to prepare for the hurricane.
Sign "hurricane" with a serious facial expression, then sign "prepare" by moving both flat hands from left to right to show getting things in order.
2The hurricane was very strong.
Sign "hurricane" using a large, fast swirling motion to emphasize its size and power, followed by the sign for "strong" while nodding affirmatively.
3Did the hurricane cause a lot of damage?
Raise your eyebrows and lean forward slightly to indicate a yes/no question while signing "hurricane," followed by the sign for "damage."
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the sign for 'hurricane' the same as 'tornado'?
No, they are quite different! While 'hurricane' uses two 'L' hands swirling around a central vertical axis, 'tornado' typically uses index fingers pointing downward, spinning rapidly in tight circles while moving diagonally across your body.
Does it matter which hand is on top when I start?
Usually, your dominant hand starts on top or takes the lead in the swirling motion, but it is not a strict rule. The most important part is the continuous, alternating rotation of both hands around each other.
How do I show that the storm is getting worse?
You can modify the sign to show the storm's progression by starting with a slow, small swirling motion and gradually increasing the speed and size of the circles, paired with an increasingly intense facial expression.
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