5@Sternum-FingerUp Contact

American Sign Language

Alternative forms

• 5@NearSternum-FingerUp 5@Sternum-FingerUp

Etymology

• Traditional etymology holds that this sign imitates a gentleman's ruffled shirt.

Production

• This one-handed ASL sign is produced as follows:

  1. 

     Posture the dominant hand in the “5” handshape on the sternum, extended finger(s) of the dominant hand pointing up.

  2. 

     Contact

     Touch the thumb one or more times to the sternum.

Hold-move chart for 5@Sternum-FingerUp Contact

dominant hand (strong)	type contour plane quality local movement	hold	move straight (str) midline plane (MP)   front and back (frbk)		hold
	Hand configuration Part of hand Proximity Spatial relation Contact location Part of hand facing Facing location Part of hand oriented Plane of orientation	‘5’ (4u) thumbtip (TITH) at (c) sternum (ST) base of hand (BA) ground (HP) hand midline plane (MP)		‘5’ (4u) thumbtip (TITH) very near (p) sternum (ST) base of hand (BA) ground (HP) hand midline plane (MP)

• The number of iterations, speed, angle of the hand, and distance moved from the sternum are variable and may be used for emphasis or to add certain frames, styles, or semantic overtones.
• Stokoe: []5_<^X‧

Adjective

(ASL gloss: FINE)

1. courteous; elegant; fancy; polite; refined; suave; urbane
2. fine; satisfactory; wonderful

   BentB@BackFinger-PalmBack-BentB@CenterChesthigh-PalmBack C@Ulnar-PalmUp-C@CenterChesthigh-PalmUp 1@CenterChesthigh-TipFingerForward?

   HOW YOU? (“How are you?”)

   1@Sternum-FingerBack 5@Sternum-FingerUp Contact

   ME FINE (“I’m fine.”)

Derived terms

• 5@Chest-ThumbBack Wiggle (“cool, swell”)