I LOVE YOU Sign Language Sign

The Truth Behind the Sign

I read something incredibly amusing today about the “I Love You” sign language sign.

I read the “article” on a page called Signs of Satan. I am honestly thinking that whoever wrote this did it just for the attention. If that’s the case, I really hate giving them the satisfaction, but I just want to make sure that everyone knows that it is not true.

Signs of Satan says, and I quote, “If you think Miss Keller’s hand sign is just a coincidence, then you are truly gullible. If you were deaf, and wanted to develop a hand sign to tell someone that you love them, what would it be? A hand over the heart would be reasonable. There is no way that any reasonable person would develop the hand sign that Keller invented, paralleling an existing hand salute to Satan. The above photo is one of Ozzy Osbourne’s Rock-n-Roll album covers. It is abundantly clear to see that Keller’s hand sign praises the Devil.”

First of all, I don’t think Helen Keller invented the I LOVE YOU sign language sign. But it wouldn’t even matter if she did. The fact that she is thought to have been an occultist has no prevalence over what I’m about to show you.

If you are at all familiar with the alphabet in sign language, then you should know what I’m about to say…

Yes, there is a way that a reasonable person would develop this hand sign. I’ll put it simply for you:

i love you sign language
I Love You Wow Even I could have come up with that

The truth is, the I LOVE YOU sign language sign is often called the ILY sign for this reason. It uses the first letters of “I Love You” to create the sign. So…

i love you sign language
This sign

…is NOT to be confused with…

devil horns
THIS sign

Yes, they are similar. But one looks like devil horns, and one uses the first letters of “I Love You.” There’s only so much you can do with one hand!

In conclusion, the American Sign Language I LOVE YOU sign has nothing to do with the devil.

author avatar
Michelle Jay
Michelle Jay is the founder of StartASL.com. She earned a Bachelor‘s Degree in Deaf Studies, with an emphasis in teaching, from one of the nation’s premier programs at California State University, Northridge. Michelle is a published author and has contributed thought-provoking articles to academic publishers such as Greenhaven Press. Her unique articles have done much to support Deaf Culture, and have been printed in resource publications such as American Chronicle and Perspectives on Diseases & Disorders: Deafness & Hearing Impairments.

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