"Stop the Traffic" is a popular narrative found in American Sign Language (ASL) curricula, specifically in of the Signing Naturally series. It serves as a key exercise for students to practice classifiers, spatial agreement, and temporal markers while following a humorous, real-world plot. The Story Summary
The signer must shift their body to represent both the woman waiting on the corner and the perspective of the drivers.
Facial expressions are vital to convey the frustration of the traffic and the "aha!" moment of the solution. asl stop the traffic story translation
While ASL does not translate word-for-word into English, a standard translation of the "Stop the Traffic" narrative looks like this:
During the summer, I had an idea. I took my backpack, turned it around to my front, and tucked it under my shirt so I looked pregnant. When I stood at the corner, the cars immediately stopped! I walked across easily and was never late again. Eventually, I actually did get pregnant, and had a baby boy!". "Stop the Traffic" is a popular narrative found
"A long time ago, I worked at a school. The school had a parking lot for teachers, but it was very expensive, and I didn't want to pay for it. Luckily, my home had free parking nearby, so I decided to park there and walk.
Her walk requires her to cross a extremely busy street with constant, fast-moving traffic. She often finds herself stuck at the corner, waiting for a gap that never comes, which frequently makes her late for her class. Facial expressions are vital to convey the frustration
As soon as she steps to the curb, the previously relentless traffic comes to an immediate halt as drivers stop to let the "pregnant" woman cross safely. She makes it to her classroom with time to spare.
Students must use vehicle classifiers (like the 3-handshape ) to show the flow and sudden stopping of traffic.