My ASL instructor and interpreters Ive met talk about “glossing” or “glossed” ASL. If theres no written form of ASL, then how can it be written in a glossed form?
A gloss is a quick and convenient, yet incomplete, method of coding. When glossed (coded) using another language (for example: ASL into English), much of the source language meaning is lost. Linguists, interpreters, and signers are glossing when they use English written words to represent an ASL message, sign, or concept, or when they speak English words in place of ASL signs. However, make no mistake; this is not written ASL. Glossed ASL is the act of using written or spoken English words as a code that represents or conveys some degree of ASL meaning. An example of how full meaning can be lost when a message is coded, think of how emailed messages are frequently not fully understood or are misunderstood. Using email, a writer is unable to give vocal intonation to his/her message, and may neglect to punctuate well enough to convey his or her full intent. Writers of English attempt to fill-in for missing vocal emphasis, facial expression, and “body language,” by using bold or italicize
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