ASL Lessons | Bookstore | Library | ASL University Main ►


WEBSITE: The American Sign Language (ASL) sign for "website / WWW"
 

Often when referring to "the web" or a "website" people will just sign WW (as a short form of WWW). For example:
MY FAVORITE WW? LP!
(My favorite website is Lifeprint!).
Note: In the above version we typically just sign two W's (not three).

 

 

But people also sign WWW (for instance, if you were telling someone the address to your website (where you can learn ASL, heh) you would include the 3rd W.)

 

 

Sample sentence: If you want to know more information, check their website.

 


 

Question: A YouTube commenter asks: "How does one distinguish the website sign (WW) from the number 66? The obvious answer is, of course, context, but I didn't know if there was another distinguishing nuance like the tapping difference between 6 and W. Thank you!"

Response: The signs for "website" and "66" do overlap. (We could add "World War," "Weight Watchers," "Willy Wonka" and probably a half dozen other concepts to that list.)

In the totally unrealistic and improbable event that I needed to sign: "I own 66 websites" -- I'd switch over to doing a very clear tap-(small)-slide-tap version of 66 and keep the sloppy WW version of "website."

If clarity were essential you could do the tap-(small)-slide-tap version of 66 and then fingerspell "websites."

If we are being honest here -- many Deaf (not all, but a significant number of us) subconsciously (or consciously) add mouthing to ambiguous signs.

While some online bloggers / vloggers might seek social clout by indiscriminately bashing mouthing -- the reality of the common use of occasional, judicious, subtle mouthing for disambiguation is easily verifiable by observing a wide sample of Deaf vloggers and/or Deaf newscasters.
Also, bravo and good job to you for thinking of using the tap version of "66." Actually just yesterday my wife, Bee, and I -- while walking the dog -- were discussing how 66 through 99 have tap versions whereas 22, 33, 44, and 55 do not.

Or maybe (more likely) I was discussing it and she was humoring me.

 


Notes: 

See: PAGE

NETWORK




*  Want to help support ASL University?  It's easy
DONATE  (Thanks!)

Another way to help is to buy something from Dr. Bill's "Bookstore."


Want even more ASL resources?  Visit the "ASL Training Center!"  (Subscription Extension of ASLU)  

*  Also check out Dr. Bill's channel: www.youtube.com/billvicars
 


You can learn American Sign Language (ASL) online at American Sign Language University ™ 
ASL resources by Lifeprint.com  ©  Dr. William Vicars