The sign for Teacher is best described as?

The sign for Teacher is best described as?

• A. Teach + Agent
• B. Educate + Agent
• C. Learn + Agent
• D. Instruct + Agent

Answer: (A)

In ASL, many occupation signs are formed by taking the action that defines the job and adding an indicator of the person who performs that action. A teacher is defined by the act of teaching others, so the sign uses the sign for teach and then marks the doer—the person who teaches. That combination directly conveys “the one who teaches,” i.e., a teacher, making it the most precise fit. Educate or instruct are related ideas, but they are different signs with distinct lexical entries, and learn describes what a student does, not the person who teaches. So the simplest, most accurate way to convey the occupation is teach plus agent.

In ASL, many occupation signs are formed by taking the action that defines the job and adding an indicator of the person who performs that action. A teacher is defined by the act of teaching others, so the sign uses the sign for teach and then marks the doer—the person who teaches. That combination directly conveys “the one who teaches,” i.e., a teacher, making it the most precise fit.

Educate or instruct are related ideas, but they are different signs with distinct lexical entries, and learn describes what a student does, not the person who teaches. So the simplest, most accurate way to convey the occupation is teach plus agent.