The hand’s orientation and the direction in which it
moves indicate who is asking whom. English requires
three different words to express “ask,” the person
asking, and the person asked. In ASL the complex
meanings “I ask her” and “she asks me” are each
expressed by a single sign.
A single ASL sign can express even more. Adding a
circular movement to these signs produces signs
meaning “I ask her for a long time” and “she asks me
for a long time:”