Greetings & courtesy
The first exchange: please, sorry, thank you — and why two of them are near-identical.
Focus
A minimal pair to start
PLEASE and SORRY are the same circle on the chest — flat hand vs. fist. Learning them together teaches you to watch handshape from day one.
Facial expression is not optional
A courtesy sign with a blank face reads as flat or sarcastic. Match the sign with the feeling from the very beginning.
Signs in this lesson
Open any sign for its full history, sources and minimal pairs.
Rub a flat hand in a circle on the center of your chest.
Rub a fist in a circle on the center of your chest.
Touch the fingertips of a flat hand to your chin and move the hand forward toward the person.
Touch a flat hand to your chin, then bring it down onto your other flat palm.
Watch out for
Pairs in this lesson that learners mix up — the drill will test exactly these.
- PLEASE / SORRY — SORRY is the same circle on the chest but with a fist (A/S handshape). PLEASE uses a flat hand. A handshape minimal pair.
- THANK-YOU / GOOD — GOOD starts identically — flat hand from the chin outward — then often drops to the other palm. Beginners routinely sign one for the other.