A@Chesthigh SmallFrontandback

American Sign Language

Alternative forms

• (emphatic form, made with a large, quick motion, without the repetition) A@Chesthigh
• (with the “open A” handshape) OpenA@Chesthigh SmallFrontandback

Etymology

The same handshape as various signs indicating oneself, e.g. A@RadialFinger-1@Center-FingerUp (“oneself”), and the same location as other non-first-person pronouns.

Production

• This one-handed ASL sign is produced as follows:
  1. Posture the dominant hand in a shape similar to the “A” handshape (i.e. with the fingers together and curled into a fist, the thumb unopposed and closed) but with the tip of the thumb extended about an inch past the edge of the index finger about half an arm’s length in front of the chest.
  2. Move the hand in a small front-and back motion, ending with a forward thrust.
  3. Hold the hand still briefly.

Pronoun

Upload png, jpg, or gif image. (ASL gloss: YOURSELF, HIMSELF, HERSELF, ITSELF, SELF-ONLY, SELF-CHAR)

1. you yourself; he himself; she herself; it itself; only you; only he; only she; you, he, she, or it and no one else
2. (describing the characteristics of someone) you; he; she

Usage notes

• (you, he, she, or it and no one else): In this sense, the sign indicates that the referent alone satisfies the sentence predicate. This pronoun and the related SELF-ONLY signs are only used as subjects.
• (describing the characteristics of someone): In this sense, the sign is used to indicate someone whose characteristics are being described. Only in this sense is it glossed SELF-CHAR. There is no first-person equivalent and no corresponding plural form for this sense.

Related terms

• A@Chest-RadialBack Contact (“SELF-ONLY-1, I myself”)
• A@IpsiChest-RadialBack A@ContraChest-RadialBack (“SELF-ONLY-PL-1, we ourselves”)
• A@Chesthigh RoundHoriz (“SELF-ONLY-PL, you yourselves, they themselves”)
• A@RadialFinger-1@Center-FingerUp (“self, oneself”)