Hold your non-dominant hand flat with the palm facing your dominant side and fingers pointing straight up. Form an 'L' shape with your dominant hand. Bring your dominant hand toward your non-dominant hand, sharply striking the palm of your flat hand with the side of your 'L' hand. Use a firm movement and a serious facial expression to convey the meaning of something being forbidden or against the law.
Sign 'PARK' then 'ILLEGAL'. Use a firm strike for 'ILLEGAL' to emphasize that the action is strictly prohibited.
Sign 'TEXT', 'DRIVE', then 'ILLEGAL'. You can shake your head while signing 'ILLEGAL' to reinforce the negative rule.
Sign 'THAT ILLEGAL' while raising your eyebrows and leaning slightly forward to indicate a yes/no question.
Sign 'PARK' then 'ILLEGAL'. Use a firm strike for 'ILLEGAL' to emphasize that the action is strictly prohibited.
Sign 'TEXT', 'DRIVE', then 'ILLEGAL'. You can shake your head while signing 'ILLEGAL' to reinforce the negative rule.
Sign 'THAT ILLEGAL' while raising your eyebrows and leaning slightly forward to indicate a yes/no question.
Both signs use an 'L' handshape on a flat non-dominant palm. However, 'law' is signed by placing the 'L' hand on the top of the palm and then moving it to the bottom of the palm. 'Illegal' is a single, sharp strike against the palm.
Yes! While it literally translates to 'illegal', it is frequently used in ASL to mean 'forbidden', 'prohibited', or strictly 'not allowed' in a general sense, even outside of a strict legal context.
Yes, you should always use your non-dominant hand as the flat, stationary base. Your dominant hand (the one you write with) should form the 'L' shape and perform the striking motion.
