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TACO: The American Sign Language (ASL) sign for "taco"
How to sign TACO:
Recommended approach: Just spell "T-A-C-O."
In real life -- many of us just spell taco because we can spell it faster than using two hands to sign it.
Also, "Taco" as in Taco Bell -- is usually spelled. Then later after the concept of "Taco Bell" is introduced we can abbreviate it to TB (which can mean Taco Bell in the context of fast food restaurants -- but in other contexts can mean "too bad").
There are a couple of signs for TACO though. Such signs are depictive and attempt to show what a taco looks like.
One version looks a lot like the sign for FOLDER (or file). If you do that version you might want to make the movement smaller and double the movement on the first usage of the sign in a conversation (with lots of context).
The other version looks like you are putting the toppings on a taco.
Again though, I recommend you just spell "taco."
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TACO: Recommended version: Just spell "taco"
https://youtu.be/9-kEr3Kjmgo
TACO ("folder") version: flat-dominant hand into bent-C-non-dominant hand
The "folder" version of "taco" seems to have become more and more popular lately. Apparently that version is also the Mexican Sign Language ("Lengua de Señas Mexicana" (LSM) version of "taco."
FOLDER (or file / or taco)
For "taco" the movement smaller and is done either once or twice.
Tip: If you can, try to find out how your local Deaf sign taco and then do it that way.
If you see someone teach some other way online -- just consider it "linguistic variation" and add it to your signing toolbox.
The fact is some signs do overlap. Sometimes the only difference between the two meanings of a sign is the context in which the sign is done.
Some people do the sign for TACO using an initialized version of FOLDER by doing the sign with their dominant hand in a "T" shape.
I do not recommend that version and consider it to be signed English.
TACO: depictive version: Show putting stuff in a taco:
Link: https://youtu.be/MUn0CRA2J8o
Again in general, I recommend you just quickly spell "taco."
A few more notes on the sign TACO:
The "folder" version (flat-dominant hand into bent-C-non-dominant hand) of "taco" seems to have become more and more popular lately.
Apparently that version is also the Mexican Sign Language ("Lengua de Señas Mexicana" (LSM) version of "taco."
Over at ASL THAT most folks spell taco. The second most popular version is the "FOLDER / FILE" version -- with a significant number of people signing that version.
Only one person there mentions the "put in ingredients" version (in the thread I reviewed).
Spreadthesign(dot)com doesn't have (as of this post) a sign for TACO.
Handspeak spells it.
I'm seeing a number of Hearing and/or younger Deaf vloggers teaching the FOLDER version of TACO.
Joseph Wheeler (Deaf / ASL That) in one of his videos spells taco and also shows the FOLDER version.
So, going forward in time my recommendation is:
1. Spell it: TACO-(fs)
2. If you prefer or need a sign and you have sufficient context, use the version that looks like the sign for "file/folder" but is done smaller as if holding a taco.
3. Recognize but don't use the "put fillings in to a taco" unless the person with whom you are chatting seems to need some expansion.
Taco: fingerspelled version
https://youtu.be/9-kEr3Kjmgo
Taco: put in fillings version:
https://youtu.be/MUn0CRA2J8o
Taco or Folder: A smaller version of this is sometimes used to mean taco.
https://youtu.be/CqFiI0DRyRI
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