Which term describes an English word that represents a sign, not a transliteration?

• A. Gloss
• B. Translation
• C. Written citation
• D. Minimal pair

Answer: (A)

Think of gloss as the written stand-in for a sign. It’s an English word or short phrase that names the sign’s meaning, used in ASL documentation and study. It isn’t a transliteration, because transliteration would try to spell out the sign with English letters or mimic its exact form, which isn’t how ASL is represented given its visual-gestural nature. A gloss, instead, captures the core meaning of the sign in written English and is used to discuss or analyze the sign's meaning within ASL grammar. For example, the sign for “teach” might be glossed as TEACH, and the sign for “mother” as MOTHER. The other options don’t fit here: translation involves converting from one language to another with natural phrasing, written citation isn’t relevant to representing signs, and a minimal pair is a phonological/semantic comparison concept, not the written naming of a sign.