To sign 'quietly,' begin by crossing your flat hands in front of your mouth, with your palms facing inward toward you. Next, smoothly move both hands downward and outward to your sides, turning your palms to face the ground as they separate. The gentle, settling motion of your hands reflects the idea of bringing noise levels down.
Sign 'please,' then 'door close,' and finish with the smooth, downward motion of 'quietly' to show how the action should be performed.
Establish the subjects by signing 'students,' then 'read,' and follow up with 'quietly.' Use a soft, slow movement for 'quietly' to emphasize the silence.
Sign 'baby sleep,' then 'walk quietly.' When signing 'quietly,' keep your facial expression calm and your hand movements gentle to match the meaning.
Sign 'please,' then 'door close,' and finish with the smooth, downward motion of 'quietly' to show how the action should be performed.
Establish the subjects by signing 'students,' then 'read,' and follow up with 'quietly.' Use a soft, slow movement for 'quietly' to emphasize the silence.
Sign 'baby sleep,' then 'walk quietly.' When signing 'quietly,' keep your facial expression calm and your hand movements gentle to match the meaning.
Yes! ASL does not use English suffixes like '-ly.' Instead, you use the sign for 'quiet' and rely on the context of your sentence, along with the softness of your movement, to convey 'quietly.'
While placing a single index finger over your lips (the universal 'shh' gesture) is widely understood for 'be quiet,' the two-handed downward sign is the standard, formal ASL sign for 'quiet,' 'quietly,' or 'peaceful.'
You can modify the sign by moving your hands even more slowly and softly than usual. Adding a slightly exaggerated, careful facial expression will also help show that the action was done with extreme quietness.
