This document provides instruction on how to sign stories about injuries from tripping, falling, and other mishaps in American Sign Language (ASL). It discusses using role shifting, locative classifiers to establish barriers, semantic classifiers to describe falls and movement, and facial expressions. Specific signs and techniques are demonstrated for describing injuries both inside and outside the signing space. The goal is to teach storytelling skills like maintaining spatial agreement and sequencing to share these unforgettable personal stories engagingly in ASL.

1. Narrating Unforgettable
Moments - Injuries:
Tripping, Falling, and
Other Mishaps
Unit 18
ASL III

2. Introduction
Sharing personal and amusing stories is one
way people connect with each other. The
ability to share stories is an important
component in developing and maintaining
relationships. Stories expand the conversations
beyond everyday topics. Telling stories about
unforgettable moments is sure to make others
laugh, wince, or sigh in relief and is a good
springboard for strengthening connections
with each other.

3. Role Shifting
This is one of several narrative units designed to help
you develop essential skills needed to tell a story
successfully. Role shift is an essential tool used in
telling anecdotes, stories, or even jokes. Role shift
allows you to tell what happened in a vivid way, and
it allows you the rich opportunity to describe the
person’s thought, behavior, or reaction
simultaneously. Additionally, you will learn to
maintain spatial agreement between the location of
people; sequence classifiers; time reactions to
coincide with the action; and to elaborate on a story
by giving descriptions, sharing thoughts, and giving
reasons.

4. Tripping and Falling: Basic Role
Shift Sequence
• Describe kind of barrier/surface
(LCL).
• (Transition) Describe the fall
(SCL:V = reaction).
• Describe the result of the fall
and/or comment on the incident.

5. Now watch this excerpt from
Nikki’s video story “Down
Cactus Hill.” The excerpt
involves the scene where Nikki
and her brother decide to take a
shortcut back to the house and
end up falling down part of a hill
covered with cactus plants.

6. Tripping and Falling: “Down
Cactus Hill”
1. Describe the kind of barrier/surface (LCL).
• In this excerpt the description of the
barrier/surface is complex. Nikki at first
describes the narrow path at top of the hill,
then uses LCL:B “path” when describing
her brother and herself starting to fall. Since
this fall is lengthy, Nikki adds descriptions
of the cactus plants (LCL:B “Parts of
cactus”) and how they broke off as she and
her brother fell. Finally, she describes how
they ended up on a ledge on the side of the
hill (LCL: “cupped hand on her weak hand
with palm up”). .
2. (Transition) Describe the fall (SCL:V+impact).
• Nikki describes this lengthy fall in parts.
For each part where she establishes the
various surfaces she uses SCL:V”fall” along
with facial expressions to show the many
impacts throughout the fall. Since this
mishap involves two people falling, she uses
SCL:V on both hands. .
3. Describe the result of the fall and/or comment
on the incident. .
• In Nikki’s story, as a result of the fall,
Nikki’s and her brother’s faces, arms and
bodies were covered with sharp prickles
from the cacti, causing some pain.
View this video segment to see how
each part of the role shift sequence is
addressed in the signed narrative.
Watch for facial expressions with SCL
when describing the fall.
Note: You will learn about different
LCLs representing barriers , SCLs and
associated facial expressions later in this
unit.

7. Different kinds of Locative
Classifiers (LCLs): Barriers
• For stories about a trip or a fall, you need to use Locative
Classifiers (LCLs) to establish the barrier before
explaining what happened.
• LCL can be used to represent barriers. They
refer to shape and location of things that
may cause someone to trip or fall.
• Different handshapes signify various objects.
Some examples are things that are bulky,
things that are flat, or things that are thin
and/or long.

8. Different kinds of LCL’s: Barriers
Watch these examples of
locative classifiers
being used to show
barriers.

9. Different kinds of LCL’s: Barriers
•LCL:C “bulk” - rock,
toy
•LCL:B “flat” – flat
surface, step, fence,
banana peel
•LCL:1 “thin, long” –
pencil, rope, wire, bar

10. Semantic Classifiers (SCL)
• When describing falls, you will use the
semantic classifier (SCL:V+impact).
• Semantic Classifiers describe where the
person is located, where they moved, and/or
how they moved (with facial expressions).

11. Semantic Classifiers (SCL)
Watch these examples of
semantic classifiers being
used to represent a person,
their location, movement, and
falls.

12. Different kinds of
Semantic Classifiers (SCL)
•SCL handshape “V”
shows the person’s
position: sitting, standing,
lying, or standing on their
head.
•SCL handshape “V” is
also used to describe falls:
forward or backward.
SCL:V “fall back” or “sit
facing me”.
Note: The direction of movement tells
if the fall is forward or backward. The
orientation of the hand tells where the
person is facing: forward, sideways, or
down.

13. Facial Expressions with Semantic
Classifiers (SCL)
• You will use facial expressions with
semantic classifiers to describe falls.
• Using these expressions allows you to tell
what happened
in a vivid way -
which is
essential to a
well-told story.

14. Facial Expressions with Semantic
Classifiers (SCL)
• Ahhhhhhh:
indicates a person
or thing is airborne
or falling.
• Pow: used for both
objects and people
when there is
impact.
Here are two facial expressions you can
use when explaining falls.

15. ASL Classifier Story:
A Cross Country Mishap
Watch what happened to the
runner in a cross country race
in ASL. Pay attention to the use
of both locative classifiers (i.e.
rock, hills, puddle, etc.) and the
semantic classifier SCL:V and
how they are used in this story
to describe people, objects, and
falls.
Also, notice his facial
expressions before, during, and
after the mishap.
In this classifier mishap story, a boy
in a cross country race isn’t paying
attention and trips over a rock,
landing in a puddle of mud.

16. Injuries
• When signing about tripping, falling, and other
mishaps, there are often injuries involved that
should be signed at the end of your story.
• To describe an injury, see the following injury
signs.
Note: The following signs indicating a cut, bruise, or
puncture can be modified to reflect where the injury
is located. For example, if you have a cut on your
face, then the sign “cut” should be made on the face.
If you have a cut on your arm, then the sign “cut”
should be made on the arm.

17. Injuries

18. Describing Injuries Outside of the
Sign Space
• Body Part Classifiers (BPCLs) are used to
describe an injury that occurs on a part of the
body located outside of the signing space,
such as injury to one’s foot or leg.
1.Name the body part
2.Use BPCL to represent the part
3.Show where the injury is
• Either the hand, the fingers, or the arm is
used to represent the body parts.

19. Describing Injuries Outside of the
Sign Space
Fingerspell the body part
• fs-LEG
• fs-ANKLE
• fs-KNEE
• fs-TOE
• fs-FOOT
Use BPCL to describe injuries
• Use BPCL “forearm” to show
injuries between knee and foot
• Use BPCL “wrist” to show
injuries to the ankle
• Use BPCL “back of hand” to
show injuries to the knee
• Use BPCL “finger” to show
injuries to toe(s)
• Use BPCL “hand” to show
injuries on the foot

20. Describing Injuries Outside of the
Sign Space
For injuries to the back,
spell out fs-BACK and
then establish the “back”
in the neutral space in
front of you to describe
the injury.
If the injury is on the
face/head, torso, arm, or
hands, then there is no
need to name the body
part. Just describe the
injury to that body part.
Here are examples for injuries on the
body outside the signing space using
body part classifiers:

21. Transitions
• “WRONG”: Use this
sign to transition
from an uneventful
situation to one that
becomes unexpected.
• EX: STUDENT MY
PAPER ICL
“wadded” LCL:1
“across room”
!WRONG!

22. Transitions
• MISHAP can be signed
in two different ways.
• This is used when
something was caused
by a failure to notice
warning signs, and ends
in an
unexpected injury.
• Make sure to use
appropriate facial
expressions when
signing what happened,
e.g., fell, slipped, hit by a
ball, etc.

23. Injuries: Tripping, Falling, and
Other Mishaps (Examples)
• Now that you have
learned how to sign
mishaps following the
tripping/falling basic
role shift sequence, this
video will demonstrate
several examples of
mishaps and the injuries
caused.

24. Review
Throughout this presentation, you have learned the
following:
1. Role Shifting for Tripping and Falling
a. Locative Classifiers (LCL) - Barriers
b. Semantic Classifiers (SCL)
i. Falls: (SCL:V+impact)
ii. Facial Expressions with Falls
2. Injuries
a. Inside the Signing Space
b. Outside the Signing Space
c. Transitions