To sign 'silent', start by placing your dominant index finger vertically over your lips, as if making a 'shh' gesture. Then, bring both hands in front of your chest with flat handshapes, palms facing down. Move both hands smoothly downwards and outwards to your sides, as if smoothing out the air.
To sign this, you would sign 'LIBRARY', 'VERY', and then use the 'silent' sign to describe the atmosphere.
Sign 'PLEASE', 'PHONE', and then 'SILENT' to ask someone to mute their device.
You can sign 'STUDENT', 'TEST', 'DURING', and then 'SILENT' to show that there was no talking.
To sign this, you would sign 'LIBRARY', 'VERY', and then use the 'silent' sign to describe the atmosphere.
Sign 'PLEASE', 'PHONE', and then 'SILENT' to ask someone to mute their device.
You can sign 'STUDENT', 'TEST', 'DURING', and then 'SILENT' to show that there was no talking.
The signs are very similar and sometimes used interchangeably. However, 'silent' often emphasizes the initial 'shh' gesture (finger to the lips), while 'quiet' frequently starts with flat hands crossed in front of the mouth or chest before moving downwards.
Instead of mouthing the English word, you can naturally purse your lips slightly during the initial 'shh' part of the sign. A calm, neutral facial expression works best for the rest of the movement.
While the initial 'shh' gesture is one-handed, the second part of the sign requires both hands moving downwards and outwards to fully convey the meaning of silence settling over an area.
