Building vocabulary in context is more effective than memorizing lists. These topic areas cover the vocabulary most useful for daily communication and beginner conversations.

Core Vocabulary Topics

Numbers 1-20 and beyond - essential for addresses, dates, time, money, ages
Family vocabulary - mother, father, sibling, children, partner, grandparent
Time concepts - today, yesterday, tomorrow, morning, afternoon, night, days of week
Food and eating - hungry, eat, drink, breakfast, restaurant, order
Work and school - work, job, school, study, learn, teach, boss, colleague
Health - doctor, hospital, sick, pain (body-specific locations), medicine
Community - Deaf, hearing, interpreter, communicate, understand, practice

Learning Vocabulary Effectively

Learn signs in sentences, not isolation - context supports memory and shows how grammar works
Practice receptive skills (watching) as much as expressive skills (signing) - most learners underpractice reception
Find a language partner - even brief regular practice with a native signer accelerates learning faster than solo study
Use spaced repetition - review vocabulary at increasing intervals (today, 2 days, 1 week, 2 weeks) to move signs to long-term memory
Watch ASL video content with captions off - force yourself to understand from signs alone

Resources: The ASL University (lifeprint.com) has extensive free lessons. YouTube channels from native ASL signers offer authentic input. Look for the United States and Canada Deaf community organizations that post educational content.

American Sign Language (ASL)