So much for Horrible Homonyms in ASL, there are actually some signs that are exactly the same yet carry different meanings depending entirely on context. Not that English is immune to such things… Is a plate a flat food dish, the starting/ending base in a ball diamond, or a component in a set of dentures? …
ASL Sign Components
Signs have the following definable components: The one undeclared component that makes a huge difference is Context… The sign I learned as METAL is used by some folks up here to mean TRASH. LETTUCE and TRASH seem to be the same (trash salad, anyone?), and the sign I learned as PURSE is commonly used to …