This document provides information on classifiers in American Sign Language (ASL). It explains that classifiers replace nouns, clarify messages, and make communication more efficient. Classifiers depict the movement, location, and appearance of entities. They show how and where things move as well as their shape and location. Classifiers represent whole entities, surfaces, instruments, depth, width, extent, perimeter shape, and objects on a surface. Various handshapes are used as classifiers, such as A, B, C, F, G, I, L, O, S, and U to depict different objects and their attributes. Classifiers can be stative, depicting stationary objects, process, depicting movement, or contact, depicting touching. Proper

1. ASL
Classifiers

2. Purpose of classifiers
Replaces a noun
Clarifies a message
More efficient

3. Classifiers
show movement, location,
and appearance
show where and how
something moves
Show what it looks like
where it is located

4. What do classifiers represent?
Whole entity
Surface
Instrumental
 Depth/width
Extent
Perimeter shape
On-surface

5. Letter Handshapes
A- vase, can, bottle, statue,
placment of items on a
table
B/4- time marker, 4 people
together, walls, floors,
shelves, flat objects

6. Handshape Classifiers
C- cup, trash can, building, large
pipe, shape of something
F- coins, buttons, eyes moving
back and forth, pearl necklace,
shape of cigar
G- eyebrows, mouth, mustache,
collar, bird beak

7. Handshape Classifiers
ILY- bird, airplane flying
L- show shape of objects-
picture frame, clocks,
lakes, or size
O- pipes, handlebars, hose

8. S- show a head- nodding,
peaking through a door,
animal stretching/turning
head
U- people sitting or standing,
thin objects- tongue, diving
board, tie

9. Number handshapes
1- person, time marker
2- two people
3- vehicle, animal
4- 4 people, hair style,
whiskers
5- 5 people walking, leaves
falling, hair style

10. 3 kinds of Classifiers
Stative- does not
move/stationary
Process- moves
Contact- touches

11. Stative
Car parked
Time marker
Vase
Person standing

12. Process
Car moving
Animal running
Person walking
Eyes moving

13. Contact
Vase on table
Car parked
Coins on a table

14. Which Handshapes are allowed
for Classifers?
A B C D E F G H I J K L
M N O P Q R S T U V
W X Y Z
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

15. Final tips
 When using classifiers remember that
your location and or object always needs
to be set up first… for example: the
classifier CL: C
 (wrong) CL: C MOVE THERE (This is
wrong because we don’t know what the
CL: C represents, although the CL is
being used correctly, you must identify
what the CL is before using it.
 (right) SODA CL: C MOVE THERE