To sign 'minutes', hold your non-dominant hand flat in front of you with the fingers pointing up and the palm facing your dominant side. Form a '1' handshape with your dominant hand (index finger extended) and place the heel of that hand against the center of your non-dominant palm. Pivot your dominant hand forward slightly at the wrist, mimicking the minute hand of a clock ticking forward.
For numbers one through nine, you can incorporate the number directly into the sign. Form a '5' handshape with your dominant hand and tick it forward against your non-dominant palm, combining the number and the concept of minutes.
Since 30 is larger than nine, you cannot incorporate it into the handshape. Instead, sign the number '30' first, followed by the standard sign for 'minutes' using the '1' handshape ticking forward against your palm.
To express this, you would sign 'wait', then 'few', and finally 'minutes'. Use the standard '1' handshape for 'minutes', ensuring your wrist makes a crisp forward ticking motion against your stationary non-dominant hand.
For numbers one through nine, you can incorporate the number directly into the sign. Form a '5' handshape with your dominant hand and tick it forward against your non-dominant palm, combining the number and the concept of minutes.
Since 30 is larger than nine, you cannot incorporate it into the handshape. Instead, sign the number '30' first, followed by the standard sign for 'minutes' using the '1' handshape ticking forward against your palm.
To express this, you would sign 'wait', then 'few', and finally 'minutes'. Use the standard '1' handshape for 'minutes', ensuring your wrist makes a crisp forward ticking motion against your stationary non-dominant hand.
For numbers one through nine, you can incorporate the number directly into the sign by using that number's handshape (like a '5') instead of the '1' handshape, and ticking it forward. For ten and above, sign the number first, then sign 'minutes' with the standard '1' handshape.
Both signs use the exact same base position and handshapes. However, 'minute' involves just a small tick forward from the wrist. In contrast, 'hour' requires the dominant hand to make a full circular rotation around the non-dominant palm, representing a full sixty-minute sweep on a clock.
No, your non-dominant hand should remain completely still throughout the entire sign. It represents the stationary face of a clock, so only your dominant hand—acting as the moving minute hand—should pivot forward. Keeping your base hand steady makes your signing much clearer.
