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As I was reading (and watching) more about The Gratitude Campaign, I noticed that the sign in the video for “Thank You” was different than the American Sign Language (ASL) one I knew.
That got me curious about how the Deaf community creates new signs. New words are introduced all the time, in all languages, by new inventions, new slang, and, our favorite, new brands.
I asked my mom, an ASL interpreter, which brand names have generated new signs…that is they are not manually spelled out with the ASL alphabet. Here are a few you can practice:
The signs for McDonald’s and Wendy’s basically mimic the company logos.
McDonald’s is an “m” on each hand symmetrically drawing the Golden Arches, starting from the middle. Wendy’s is a “w” at each side of the head, drawing Wendy’s famous red braids.
Other signs for brands aren’t as obvious. One popular sign for Starbucks is made by making the #8 sign on both hands, with thumbs touching, and then repeatedly flicking your middle fingers.
The sign for Coca-Cola is your index finger poking your arm. I’ve heard that this comes from the days when kids would get a bottle of Coke after braving a shot at the doctor’s office.