ASL for Missionaries
Used across the United States and Canada
So you've been called to serve in American Sign Language. Congratulations, Elder or Sister — you've received one of the most unique and beautiful assignments in the mission field. You're not just learning words; you're being welcomed into the Deaf community, a proud culture with its own language, humor, art, and identity. Here's the encouraging truth: ASL is a real, complete, natural language — not "English on the hands" — and it is learnable, expressive, and deeply rewarding. This article won't make you fluent — only immersion in the Deaf community and the Spirit will do that — but it will reframe how you think about the language and show you exactly where to aim before and during the MTC. Let me hand you the keys.
The Secret: ASL Is Its Own Language, Not Signed English
The single most important thing to understand: ASL is not English. It has its own grammar, its own word order, and its own idioms. It's actually related to French Sign Language (its historical root), and it is not mutually intelligible with British Sign Language. If you try to sign word-for-word in English order, you'll be doing something else entirely (a system called signed English) — not the living language the Deaf community actually uses.
ASL is a visual-spatial language. Meaning is carried by the hands, yes — but just as much by facial expression, head movement, and the space around your body. Your face isn't extra; it's grammar. Once that clicks, everything changes.
Your Mission Field
You'll serve among Deaf individuals and families, likely in Deaf branches or wards and Deaf communities across North America. This is a culture — capital-D "Deaf" — that views deafness not as a deficit but as a shared language and identity. Your respect for that culture, and your willingness to put your voice away and truly sign, will open hearts that a hearing-centered approach never could.
Part 1: The Manual Alphabet (Fingerspelling)
ASL has a fingerspelling alphabet — 26 handshapes, one per English letter — used for names, places, and words that don't have a set sign. You'll fingerspell your name, investigators' names, and gospel proper nouns constantly, so master this cold, early.
- Fingerspell with a steady, relaxed hand at shoulder height, palm generally facing out.
- Smoothness beats speed. New signers rush; fluent signers are clear and even.
- Reading fingerspelling back (receptive skill) is harder than producing it — practice watching, not just doing.
Drill it daily: spell your name, your companion's name, "Jesus Christ," "Book of Mormon," and the names of everyone you meet.
The 26 Handshapes
These are the actual fingerspelling handshapes, rendered live in the Gallaudet ASL font. Study the shape, then look away and form it yourself — the letter label is below each hand.
Note: J and Z are actually traced in the air with movement — the font shows their handshape, but add the motion when you sign them.
Try Reading a Whole Word
Fingerspelling in the wild comes at you as a flow of handshapes, not one letter at a time. Practice seeing the shape of the whole word. Cover the label, read the hands, then check yourself:
Now try your own name and your companion's — say them out loud as handshapes in your head.
Part 2: The Five Parameters of a Sign
Where spoken languages have sounds, ASL signs are built from five building blocks. Change any one, and you can change the whole meaning:
| Parameter | What it means | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Handshape | the shape your hand makes | e.g., a flat hand vs a fist |
| Palm orientation | which way the palm faces | up/down/in/out changes meaning |
| Location | where the sign is made | forehead vs chin vs chest |
| Movement | how the hand moves | direction, path, repetition |
| Non-manual markers | face, eyebrows, mouth, head | grammar carried on the face |
The classic teaching example: the signs for MOTHER and FATHER use the same handshape and movement — the only difference is location (chin vs forehead). Precision in these five parameters is your "pronunciation."
Part 3: Non-Manual Markers — Your Face Is Grammar
This is the parameter hearing learners neglect and Deaf signers rely on. In ASL, your face does the work that intonation and punctuation do in English:
- Raised eyebrows → a yes/no question ("Are you okay?")
- Furrowed/lowered eyebrows → a WH-question (who, what, where, why)
- Head shake while signing → negation
- Mouth morphemes (e.g., "cha," "mm," "oo") → adverbs like size, ease, or intensity
- Eye gaze and body shift → who's being referred to, or role-play in a story
If your face is blank, you have an accent — or you're unintelligible. Learning to let your face move freely is often the hardest and most transformative step for missionaries.
Part 4: Grammar — Word Order and Space
1. Topic–Comment order. ASL often states the topic first, then comments on it. English "I am going to the store" is more like STORE, ME GO (topic = store, comment = me go).
2. Time–Topic–Comment. Time markers usually come first: YESTERDAY, CHURCH, ME GO ("I went to church yesterday"). Because you set the time up front, verbs don't conjugate for tense.
3. Spatial grammar (the superpower). You "place" people and things at points in the space in front of you, then point back to them, move verbs between them, and reference them for the rest of the conversation. Set Mom on your left and Dad on your right, and the verb GIVE moving from one point to the other says who gave to whom — no extra words needed.
4. Directional (indicating) verbs. Many verbs are inflected by direction of movement: I-HELP-YOU vs YOU-HELP-ME is the same sign moved the opposite way.
5. Classifiers. Special handshapes represent categories of things (a vehicle, a person, a flat surface) and show how they move and relate in space — like visual storytelling.
Part 5: Essential Signs to Learn First
(Signs are described, not written — learn the actual movement from your materials and Deaf mentors.)
| Concept | Note |
|---|---|
| HELLO / HI | flat hand salute from the forehead outward |
| THANK-YOU | flat hand from the chin outward |
| YES / NO | "S" hand nodding / index+middle+thumb closing |
| PLEASE | flat hand circling on the chest |
| SORRY | "A" hand (fist) circling on the chest |
| NICE-TO-MEET-YOU | two-part phrase — learn as a unit |
| NAME | "H" hands tapping (also: "What's your name?") |
| UNDERSTAND / DON'T-UNDERSTAND | flick at the temple; add a head shake to negate |
| DEAF | pointing near ear then mouth (or reverse) |
Numbers 0–9 each have their own handshape, and ASL number handshapes have specific palm orientations — learn them precisely, as they behave differently from casually "counting on fingers." Here are the digit handshapes in the Gallaudet font:
Watch the palm orientation: 1–5 traditionally face the palm toward yourself, while 6–9 face outward toward the person you're talking to.
Part 6: The Language of the Gospel
The Church has ASL scripture and teaching resources, including signed video. Start absorbing these now. Learn the established, standardized gospel signs from official Church ASL materials and Deaf members/leaders — don't invent signs. Concepts you'll use daily:
| Concept | Note |
|---|---|
| GOD | established sign (upward, near the head) |
| HEAVENLY-FATHER | GOD/FATHER + heaven concept — learn the standard form |
| JESUS-CHRIST | established two-part sign (touching the palms) |
| HOLY-GHOST / SPIRIT | standardized sign |
| PRAY | hands together, moving in |
| FAITH | learn the established sign |
| REPENT | established sign |
| BAPTIZE | shows the ordinance visually |
| BOOK-OF-MORMON | often BOOK + fingerspell/sign MORMON |
| TESTIMONY | established sign |
| FAMILY | "F" hands forming a circle |
| LOVE | crossed arms over the chest |
Two anchor expressions to master early (from official materials):
- "I am a missionary" — learn the standard sign for MISSIONARY plus ME.
- "I know this is true" — the backbone of your testimony; sign it with conviction on your face, because in ASL the sincerity shows.
Part 7: Common Mistakes to Avoid
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Signing in English word order | use ASL topic–comment order | ASL is not English |
| Keeping a blank face | let eyebrows, mouth, head move | the face is grammar |
| Rushing fingerspelling | smooth and clear beats fast | clarity is everything |
| Mouthing/voicing every word | go voice off | it's a visual language |
| Making up gospel signs | use standardized Church signs | consistency and respect matter |
| Ignoring eye contact | hold gaze; it's how you "listen" | looking away = tuning out |
Part 8: Honoring Deaf Culture
Deaf culture has its own norms — respecting them is part of learning the language:
- "Deaf" is not an insult and not a tragedy. The community embraces Deaf identity with pride. Avoid framing it as something broken to be fixed.
- Eye contact is sacred. Breaking eye contact mid-conversation is like covering your ears while someone talks. Stay visually present.
- Getting attention is done by a light tap on the shoulder, a wave in the person's line of sight, or flicking the room lights — never by grabbing or by shouting.
- Be direct and clear. Deaf culture values straightforward, explicit communication; vagueness reads as evasive.
- Introductions often include your name (fingerspelled) and connections — the community is close-knit.
- Respect Deaf leadership and members as your best teachers. They are the keepers of the language and culture you're joining.
Immerse Yourself: The Fastest Path to Fluency
Here's the single most important paragraph in this article. The missionaries who become fluent are the ones who immerse completely — and in ASL, that means "voice off." Your version of SYL ("Speak Your Language") is putting your voice away and living in the visual language:
- Go voice off, early and often. Turn off the sound and communicate by signing. Every time you fall back on your voice, you rob yourself of growth — and you center hearing culture instead of Deaf culture.
- Train your eyes as hard as your hands. Receptive skill (understanding others) is the real challenge. Watch signing constantly — official Church ASL videos, Deaf members, your companion.
- Immerse in the Deaf community. Attend Deaf ward/branch activities, learn the culture from Deaf members, and let their friendship teach you what no textbook can.
- Love the people, and the language follows. You're learning to love and serve Deaf individuals and families — let that love make your face expressive and your heart humble about mistakes.
- Trust the gift of tongues — including this one. The Lord magnifies missionaries in every language, spoken and signed. Study hard, sign bravely, and expect His help.
Try this today: fingerspell your name smoothly, then sign HELLO — MY NAME (fingerspell) — NICE-TO-MEET-YOU, with a warm, open face. Watch a Deaf signer do it and copy the feeling, not just the hands.
One Final Challenge
Practice your testimony in ASL (learn the exact signs from official Church materials and Deaf mentors):
GOD LOVE YOU. JESUS-CHRIST — OUR SAVIOR. TRUE, ME KNOW.
Sign it slowly, with your eyebrows and your whole face carrying the sincerity — because in ASL, a testimony borne with a still face isn't fully borne at all. Let your conviction show.
Translation: God loves you. Jesus Christ is our Savior. I know it is true.
You've got the foundation, Elder/Sister. The handshapes, the space, and the expressive face aren't obstacles anymore — they're the tools you'll use to bear testimony in a language that preaches with the whole body.
Now go voice off, watch closely, sign bravely, and give it everything you have.
P.S. — One beautiful truth that will preach for you: ASL testimony is impossible to fake. Spoken languages let you hide behind a flat delivery, but ASL requires your face, your eyes, and your body to carry the meaning — sincerity is literally built into the grammar. When you sign "GOD LOVE YOU" with your whole being, a Deaf investigator doesn't just understand the words; they see that you mean them. In a language where the message and the messenger are inseparable, your genuine testimony becomes visible. Let it show.
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