PEACE in sign language

Peace is a tranquil state, free from disturbance or conflict, where calmness and harmony reign -- like the blissful silence after turning off a noisy vacuum cleaner, or the serene silence when kids march back to school on the first day after a hectic summer.

ASL signs for PEACE

How to sign "peace" in American Sign Language (ASL)?

Meaning: A state of tranquillity or quiet; freedom from civil disturbance; also peaceful.

Pronunciation (sign description): Both flat hands, palms in contact held in neural space, turn over and diverge where hands move downward, palms facing down.

Old ASL

"Peace -- Clasp hands (shake hands with yourself), then turn them over and repeat in opposite direction; then bring hands away from each other, palms down, as if stroking something on either side in opposite directions." (1910) Ref

Beyond basics

Used by native and fluent Deaf signers.

Colloquial usage/slang (native level) -- it's difficult to describe meanings in different contexts in short sentences.

This PEACE sign has a few subtle variations when it's inflected with intonation to convey other meanings beyond "peaceful", such to some degrees as "good riddance", "now I can relax", "glad it's over"...

Q: "It's my understanding that the one-handed "peace" sign of the 60s is incorrect and, instead, is the letter "V" which Winston Churchill used for victory. I believe the one-handed V sign (for peace) was created and adapted against the "victory" sign by peaceniks in protest to the war. Can you confirm my assumption or offer a correction?" -- Feb. 2015.

A: The ASL word "peace" (variation) and hearing hand symbols are not necessarily related in meanings. ASL has its own meanings, not related to other meanings of other cultures (specifically, hearing culture) or languages.

Hearing and Deaf Cultures

FOREHEADPEACESIGN
Randomly compiled images.

The trend #FOREHEADPEACESIGN emerged online in the hearing world in the 2010s(?). Deaf people found this trend amusing, because the symbol reminds them of the ASL word STUPID; hence, one cannot help but see it as #IAMSTUPID.

FOREHEADPEACESIGN by Daigle
Cartoon by Matt and Kay Daigle. Used with permission. thatdeafguy.com

This cartoon, though not directly related to #FOREHEADPEACESIGN, succinctly expresses Deaf humor as a form of nonviolent resistance to oppression as well as cultural appropriation.

Vocabulary

Related signs: STUPID, peace of mind.

Written ASL

[Note: ASL writing is not an official standard. This sign language writing remains in a state of open space to allow room for experiment, evolution, and improvement.]

ASL writing for PEACE

ASL written for PEACE or PEACEFUL. Contributed by Jolanta Lapiak, July 2015.

asl written for PEACE

Variation. Contributed by Adrean Clark, January 2017.

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