This sign can mean either England or English. The specific meaning depends on context.
The sign for "England" is done by placing your dominant
hand over your non-dominant hand.
The fingers of the dominant hand
wrap around the pinkie side of the non-dominant hand.
Some people use a double movement to mean England but you will see it either way
-- so just pay attention to context.
For example, if someone signs "I FINISH VISIT ENGLAND" it is obvious that they
are referring to the place not the language.
ENGLAND / ENGLISH
ENGLISH / or England:
A variation you may see is to do the sign England / English with a double
movement:
If you do a double movement the dominant hand clasps over the non-dominant, then releases and moves an inch
or two back up and then clasps the non-dominant hand again.
The non-dominant hand stays in one place during the sign.
Notes:
There is another sign for England that uses a modified-"L-hand"
(with the index finger and the thumb bent). You grab the sides of
your chin with the index finger and thumb as if showing the
chin-strap of the head gear worn by the Royal Palace Guards.
Also see English
BSL version / indigenous version of
ENGLAND:
As of 2022 this sign is not commonly used in ASL but you may see it show up once
in a while if you watch British Sign Language videos:
Memory aid or possible origin:
This sign looks "Queen Elizabeth I with her hand firmly in control of a round earth." (Mackie, 2022)
.jpg)
Picture: "Armada Portrait"
(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_I#/media/File:Elizabeth_I_(Armada_Portrait).jpg
(public domain)
{{PD-1996}}
(Formerly attributed to George Gower - http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/elizarmada.jpg
)
Reference: Mackie, Adam. (4/12/2022) personal correspondence.
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