What does indexing/underlining in ASL refer to?

What does indexing/underlining in ASL refer to?

• A. Pointing to and/or underlining English print
• B. Signing at eye level
• C. Rotating eye contact between print and fingerspelling
• D. Moving the head with signs

Answer: (A)

Indexing in ASL is about using the index finger to establish reference—pointing to a person, object, or location in space to show what you’re talking about. Underlining English print is a teaching cue that marks which English word is being signed, helping map the sign to that word. Together, indexing/underlining describes how a signer links a sign to a specific referent or to a particular English word, using pointing and a way of highlighting corresponding text. This isn’t about where you sign (eye level), nor about alternating gaze between print and fingerspelling, nor about head movement with signs. It’s the referential pointing to objects or people and, in instructional contexts, the practice of marking the corresponding English word.

Indexing in ASL is about using the index finger to establish reference—pointing to a person, object, or location in space to show what you’re talking about. Underlining English print is a teaching cue that marks which English word is being signed, helping map the sign to that word. Together, indexing/underlining describes how a signer links a sign to a specific referent or to a particular English word, using pointing and a way of highlighting corresponding text.

This isn’t about where you sign (eye level), nor about alternating gaze between print and fingerspelling, nor about head movement with signs. It’s the referential pointing to objects or people and, in instructional contexts, the practice of marking the corresponding English word.