American Sign Language: "but"
The signs "but" and "different" are basically the same sign. The sign "but" generally uses a "smaller" movement, however, it may be done quite large depending on how excited the signer is. It is also very common to fingerspell B-U-T when you mean "however."
BUT:
BUT or DIFFERENT:
The sign for "but" is (in general) the same as the sign for "different." However, I suggest that the sign for "different" uses a larger motion (in general) than the sign for "but."
The sign below could mean either "but" or "different" depending on the rest of the signs in your sentence:
You can do the sign larger to incorporate the concept of "very." When doing the sign this large there is no question that what you mean is "different" or "difference."
very-DIFFERENT:
Animations:
but
Memory aid: "A small but(t) makes a big difference."
You can learn
sign language
(ASL) online at American Sign Language University ™
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