ASL vs Signed English: Key Differences Explained

The ASL vs Signed English differences confuse many people who assume all signing in the United States is the same language. In reality, American Sign Language (ASL) and Signed Exact English (SEE) are fundamentally different systems with distinct grammar, structure, and cultural contexts. Knowing the difference helps you choose the right approach for your learning goals and communicate more effectively with Deaf individuals.

What Is Signed Exact English

Signed Exact English (SEE) is a sign system — not a language — developed in the 1970s to represent spoken English visually. It was created by educators (primarily David Anthony and Gerilee Gustason) who wanted a tool to help deaf children learn English grammar. SEE uses many ASL signs but arranges them in English word order and adds invented signs for English grammatical elements like prefixes, suffixes, articles, and verb tenses.

For example, the English sentence “The boy is running quickly” would be signed in SEE as THE + BOY + IS + RUN + -ING + QUICK + -LY. Every English word and morpheme gets a corresponding sign. In contrast, ASL would express the same idea with far fewer signs, using movement speed and facial expressions to convey the concepts of “running” and “quickly” simultaneously.

SEE is used primarily in educational settings, especially in schools that follow a Total Communication philosophy. It is not a natural language that evolved within a community. Instead, it was deliberately constructed to mirror English. This distinction is critical for understanding why Deaf community attitudes toward SEE differ significantly from attitudes toward ASL.

Grammar and Word Order

The most visible difference between ASL and Signed English is word order. ASL uses a topic-comment structure (sometimes described as OSV or SOV, depending on the sentence). “I like pizza” becomes “PIZZA, I LIKE” in ASL, with the topic established first and the comment following. SEE follows English SVO order exactly: “I LIKE PIZZA.”

ASL drops words that carry no visual meaning. Articles (a, an, the), linking verbs (is, are, was), and many prepositions are absent. ASL grammar relies on spatial relationships, movement, and non-manual markers to convey these concepts instead. SEE retains every English word, making sentences longer and more cumbersome to produce manually.

Verb agreement works differently too. In ASL, directional verbs change their movement path to indicate subject and object. The sign for GIVE moves from the giver toward the receiver in physical space. In SEE, the sign for GIVE stays static, and separate pronoun signs establish who gives and who receives.

Time marking illustrates another key difference. ASL establishes the time frame at the beginning of a sentence (“YESTERDAY, STORE I GO-TO”) and then all subsequent statements are understood in that time frame. SEE uses specific signs for tense markers on each verb, following English grammar rules. This makes SEE sentences significantly longer than their ASL equivalents.

Facial Grammar and Non-Manual Signals

Facial expressions serve a grammatical function in ASL that has no parallel in Signed English. Raised eyebrows mark yes/no questions and topicalized phrases. Furrowed brows mark wh-questions. A headshake during signing indicates negation. Specific mouth morphemes (like “cha,” “pah,” and “th”) add adverbial information about size, manner, and intensity.

In SEE, facial expressions are used for emotional emphasis, similar to how a hearing person might smile or frown while speaking English. But they do not carry grammatical weight. The grammar is entirely in the hands. A question in SEE is marked by signing a question mark sign or by using English question word order, not by changing facial expression.

This means that a learner transitioning from SEE to ASL must develop an entirely new relationship with their face. Many SEE-trained signers produce “flat face” ASL, which is grammatically incomplete. Conversely, an ASL signer watching SEE may find the lack of facial grammar disorienting, as crucial information channels are silent.

Research from Gallaudet University has shown that Deaf children exposed primarily to ASL develop stronger visual processing skills and better reading comprehension than those exposed only to SEE, partly because ASL’s multi-channel grammar (hands, face, body, space) exercises more cognitive pathways simultaneously.

Vocabulary and Sign Formation

ASL and SEE share many individual signs, which contributes to the confusion between them. The sign for house, eat, or school often looks the same in both systems. The divergence appears in how those signs combine into sentences and in the additional signs that SEE invents for English-specific morphemes.

SEE adds initialized signs for concepts that ASL handles differently. For example, SEE has distinct signs for “is,” “am,” “are,” “was,” and “were” by initializing each with the corresponding first letter. ASL does not use any of these because linking verbs are unnecessary in a visual-spatial grammar.

SEE also separates compound concepts that ASL expresses as single signs. The English word “butterfly” might be fingerspelled or signed as two morphemes (BUTTER + FLY) in SEE, while ASL has a single, iconic sign that depicts wings fluttering. ASL prioritizes visual logic over English etymology.

Classifiers — handshapes that represent categories of objects — are a core part of ASL vocabulary but are absent from SEE. A classifier showing a vehicle moving along a road has no English equivalent to encode. Since SEE maps only to English words, it cannot represent these visual constructions, which limits its expressive range for spatial and descriptive content.

Cultural Context and Community Attitudes

ASL is the natural language of the Deaf community in the United States and most of Canada. It evolved organically over more than 200 years, influenced by French Sign Language (brought by Laurent Clerc to the American School for the Deaf in 1817) and indigenous sign languages already in use. ASL is a source of cultural pride, identity, and community cohesion.

SEE, by contrast, was imposed by hearing educators as a teaching tool. Many Deaf adults who were forced to learn SEE in school view it as a symbol of audism — the assumption that hearing and speaking are inherently superior to signing. The Deaf community’s relationship with SEE is complicated. Some individuals find value in it as a bridge to English literacy, while others strongly prefer ASL-only environments.

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) has advocated for ASL as the primary language of Deaf education, citing research showing that early ASL acquisition supports cognitive development, English literacy, and academic achievement. This position does not reject SEE entirely but emphasizes that it should not replace ASL as a child’s first language.

Understanding these cultural dynamics is important for hearing learners. If your goal is to communicate with the Deaf community, learning ASL is the appropriate choice. If your goal is to support a deaf child’s English literacy in an educational setting, SEE may serve a complementary role alongside ASL instruction.

Which System Should You Learn

For most learners, ASL is the better investment. It is a complete, natural language with a rich cultural context, and it is what the Deaf community actually uses. Learning ASL gives you access to Deaf culture, community events, ASL literature, and direct communication with Deaf individuals.

SEE may be useful in specific educational contexts, particularly for teachers working in Total Communication programs or parents who want to support their deaf child’s English development. However, even in these cases, knowledge of ASL grammar is valuable because it helps you understand how your child or student thinks about language visually.

Many people start learning what they believe is ASL but are actually taught SEE or a mix of the two (often called Pidgin Signed English or contact signing). If your instructor signs in English word order, adds signs for “is,” “the,” and “-ing,” you are likely learning SEE or a hybrid. Check your program’s curriculum and instructor credentials through the interpreter certification standards for guidance.

Ultimately, the two systems serve different purposes. ASL is a language you use to connect with a community. SEE is a tool designed to represent a different language visually. Knowing the difference ensures you approach each with appropriate expectations and respect for the Deaf community’s perspective.

Related Articles

• ASL Sentence Structure Explained
• ASL Grammar Rules for Beginners
• ASL Facial Expressions and Their Meaning
• ASL Classifiers: The Complete Guide