SHADE: The
American Sign Language (ASL) sign for "shade"
QUESTION:
An ASL Hero writes:
"I really have trouble with how to sign 'shade.' I suppose if I explain
enough, people figure out what I'm trying to say--but it seems like there should
be a more efficient way of signing 'shade' than showing the sun shining on a
tree and the dark area on the other side!?"
RESPONSE:
Hello ASL Hero!
Oh sure, if the person to whom we are signing has recently arrived from some
other planet and is just now figuring out how physics and things work here on
Earth you might need to go into detail regarding the meaning of shade and tell
your epic tale about the shining sun, trees, and darkness.
In regular conversation though we (Deaf) earthlings just sign DARK while
mouthing "shade."
By way of comparison, in English you can't walk up to someone and out of the
blue say the word "shade" without them wondering what you are talking about (or
if you are, perhaps, an alien). For example, at first I thought you in your
question were referring to "shades of nuance," and then I wondered if you were
talking about "casting shade" (negativity) and then I realized you were taking
about the regular old "common" meaning of shade when you got to mentioning "sun"
and "dark areas" (in your English-text based post).
My point is that signing the concept of "shade" is not hard at all "in real
life." Context makes it obvious what you are talking about. Signing
"shade" is only awkward when (without context) you just ask someone: Hey, how do
you sign shade?
- Dr. Bill
DARK / shade:
Question: A YouTuber asks:
How do you sign the word "shade"? Not meaning shade from the sun but as
different ideas, like the phrase "shades of gray"? Thanks if you can help.
Answer:
"Shade" as in shades of gray -- can be signed by using a phrase such as:
DIFFERENT DIFFERENT COLOR GRAY
Some people will choose to fingerspell "shades" -- and that is okay.
Some dogmatic or prescriptive ASL teachers may try to convince you that the sign
DARK can't be used as a multiple meaning sign including "shade from the sun" as
well as "shades of color." However, if you see how Deaf are really truly using
sign language you will note that a version of the sign DARK can be used to mean
"gradations of" -- in a general sense.
Just because a sign has a traditionally accepted meaning doesn't preclude Deaf
(and other) ASL signers from using that same sign to mean whatever we agree (as
a community) that the sign means.
If enough people use a sign for any particular meaning -- it gains legitimacy.
On a deeper level you may need to zoom out and focus on the bigger picture.
Phrases like "shades of gray" can have deeper meanings such as:
Definition: Shades of gray: Not being clear in a situation what is right and
wrong. (Source: Cambridge (dot) org).
In such situations you might choose a sign like "LEVELS" or maybe "ambiguous"
(unclear) combined with other signs to express your overall meaning.
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