Food & drink
Eating, drinking, and a sign that's secretly a fossil of two older signs.
Focus
Iconicity does the work
EAT carries food to the mouth; DRINK tips a cup; MILK squeezes an udder. These signs teach themselves once you see what they depict.
A living fossil
HOME began as EAT + SLEEP — the place you do both. It has since worn down into a single sign. You can still see the seam.
Signs in this lesson
Open any sign for its full history, sources and minimal pairs.
Bring a flattened 'O' hand to the lips, as if placing food in your mouth.
Tap a flat 'O' hand to your lips twice, in small movements.
Form a 'C' hand as if holding a cup and tip it toward your mouth.
Hold a fist in neutral space and squeeze it open and closed, as if milking a cow.
Tap the index-side of a 'W' hand against your chin a couple of times.
Plant the knuckle of a bent index finger on your cheek and twist.
Twist a curved 'claw' hand on the upturned palm of your other hand, as if cutting cookie dough with a cutter.
Tap the fingertips of two flattened 'O' hands together repeatedly.
Watch out for
Pairs in this lesson that learners mix up — the drill will test exactly these.
- FOOD / EAT — Same hand, same place. EAT is one fuller movement; FOOD is two small taps.
- WATER / DRINK — Both sit at the mouth; WATER taps with a W, DRINK arcs with a C.