American Sign Language: "program"


Think of words on both sides of a sheet of paper.

PROGRAM: 



Side view:


You can sign "programmer" by adding the "agent" sign.


Also see: SOFTWARE

 

Notes:

 

In a message dated 4/4/2016 6:36:22 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, mchl_fan@yahoo.com writes:
Hello Dr. Vicars, I am a student in the online course, registered through Conestoga High School.
 

 
How would I sign the word "programming" or "coding"? I know the sign for "program" on ASLU and the sign for "programmer"...can that "program" be used as the verb as well? And then I would just double sign it to do "programming"?
 

 
Thanks,
 
Michael
Michael,
The sign for PROGRAM can be used in a variety of sentences involving programming. The meaning is made clear by other signs in the sentence:
I WRITE PROGRAM. = "I write programs." "I wrote a program."
I SKILL PROGRAM. = "I am proficient at programming."
I PROGRAM-PERSON-(non-initialized) = "I am a programmer."

The concept of "code" could be represented in a several ways depending on how much context has been established and if the person with whom you are communicating is bilingual in English-(written) and ASL:

CODE-(fingerspell_C-O-D-E)
CODING-(fingerspell_C-O-D-I-N-G)
(context)-KEYBOARDING-downward-movement-"code"
(context)-SENTENCE-"a_line_of_code"

(context)-SENTENCE-[shift-down]-SENTENCE-"lines_of_code"
(context)-PROGRAM-("code")
(context)-HIEROGLYPHICS-("encrypted/random/non-specific_code")


While it is true that ASL uses noun/verb pairs in which the movement is duplicated to change a verb (for example "SIT") into a noun (for example "CHAIR") -- that isn't the case for the sign PROGRAM.  The sign PROGRAM is not a noun/verb pair. The word or sign category of PROGRAM is made clear by context and the other signs in the sentence.
Cordially,
Dr. Bill

 
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