Talking about Money - Discussing Finances

UNIT 22ASL III

Talking about Money

Talking about money is inevitable - we compare prices on clothes and furniture, discuss purchases we’ve made, brag about bargains we’ve found, commiserate when we spend a fortune on car repairs, ask about borrowing and paying off debts, discuss how best to save money for the future, and so on. This unit introduces you to money-related signs so you can discuss financial topics with others.

Talking about MoneyThis is a semantics (vocabulary) unit. Since we live in and are all part of the American economy, we naturally develop signs to match the words that are commonly used to talk about finances - words like deposit, withdrawal, loan, interest, paid off, bounced check, investment, and dividends. However, not all signs mean exactly the same as their English counterparts. You will learn when and how to use these money signs appropriately.

Discussing Finances• DONATE - “to make a donation to

someone or to a charity”

• BE-BROKE - “to be out of money; to be short of money; to be broke”

• (2h)SPEND-ALL (S→1) - “to spend more than you really should; in another context this sign can mean to spend money recklessly”

• OWE++ - “to owe someone; to be in debt; to afford to be in debt”

• HAVE-TIGHT-BUDGET - “to barely make ends meet; to live from paycheck to paycheck”

*The word “bills” is fingerspelled.

Here is a video of these vocabulary words.

Please watch this clip to see how you would use these sign in action.

Dialogue 1• What was Cinnie selling?

Raffle tickets• How much were the raffle

tickets? 10 tickets for $8 or $1 each

• What were the prizes for winning the raffle? 1st - $500, 2nd - $100, 3rd – dinner for two

• Why was Byron reluctant about buying the tickets right away? He was broke

• What did he offer instead? He gets paid in 2 weeks and will give her the money.

Read the questions and answers to this dialogue. Then, watch the video and see if you can catch the key vocabulary used.

Key Vocabulary:

PRESENT-TO (donate) fs-BILLS

(2h)BE-BROKE OWE++

HAVE-TIGHT-BUDGET fs-PAYCHECK

(2h)SPEND-ALL (S->1) SUBSCRIBE/ GET

Discussing FinancesPAY-IN-LARGE-CHUNKS - “to pay for an

expensive item with a large sum of cash; if the sign is repeated, it means to increase monthly payments substantially to pay off a debt sooner”

CAN’T AFFORD - “to be unable to afford something; to not have sufficient funds to make a purchase, to be unable to assume any more debts”

PAY-REGULARLY - “to make monthly payments, i.e., bills, rent; to provide financial support on a regular basis, e.g., alimony, or allowances”

INCREASE - “to increase; to appreciate in value or debt”

LAY-AWAY - “to make a purchase using a layaway plan; to pay on the unpaid balance until it is paid in full before taking the merchandise”

PAY++ - “to keep paying”

PAID-OFF - “to have a debt paid in full; to pay off a debt”

Here is a video of these vocabulary words.

Please watch this clip to see how you would use these sign in action.

Dialogue 2• What was Missy’s problem?

Her term paper was due real soon, but the computers in the library were almost always occupied. • What did Ken suggest and why?

He suggested that she buy a computer for her own use. Its benefit is that you can complete work at your own pace. No need to wait for availability. Note: Missy and Ken used different signs for “computer.” • What was Ken’s response to

Missy’s idea of charging the computer to her credit card rather than buying it outright?

He cautioned Missy about the high interest rate for using credit cards (18%) and suggested that she consider a layaway plan. • Why did Missy finally decide to

charge the purchase after all? She charged it because she needed to use the computer right away rather than having to wait for it to be paid off on the lay away plan.

Read the questions and answers to this dialogue. Then, watch the video and see if you can catch the key vocabulary used.

Key Vocabulary:

PAY-IN-LARGE-CHUNKS

PAY-REGULARLY INTEREST

CAN’T AFFORD LAY-AWAY

USE-CREDIT-CARD PAID-OFF

Discussing Finances

MONEY+ZERO “palm” - “to run out of money/funds; to be broke; to have zero balance in an account”

POUR-MONEY-ON - “to spend or pay more than you’d like or expect for something, e.g., major repairs, renovations, tuition, hospital bills, or weddings”

Here is a video of these vocabulary words.

Please watch this clip to see how you would use these sign in action.

Dialogue 3• What did Nikki invite Cinnie

to? She invited her to join her in flying down to see a Deaf West Theatre show 2 weeks following, particularly because Cinnie’s friend, Bob Gail, was in that show.

• Why did Cinnie decline? She didn’t have enough money to spend because of a recent major bathroom renovation she did.

• What did Nikki offer Cinnie instead?

She offered to treat Cinnie to dinner for her birthday even though her birthday was 2 weeks later.

Read the questions and answers to this dialogue. Then, watch the video and see if you can catch the key vocabulary used.

Key Vocabulary:

MONEY+ZERO“palm”

POUR-MONEY-ON

Discussing FinancesMONEY+RICH - “to be wealthy; to have an abundance

of money”

(2h)alt. PRESENT-TO (donate) - “to bequeath; to present a large monetary gift to someone”

(2h)SPEND - “to spend all of the money you have in a short period of time; to blow money”

(2h)alt. DONATE - “to donate to a number of causes or to people; this sign is a variation of an earlier sign shown”

GET-LOTS-MONEY (V handshape) - “to make a great deal of money from an investment, inheritance, or from gambling; a windfall”

BUY - “to buy; to purchase”

ZERO-BALANCE - “money dwindles down until there is nothing left”

(2h)TREAT-TO-ALL - “to pay for everyone’s expenses; to treat everybody to something”

(2h)alt. WINK+BRIBE - “under the table; to gain favor from someone by giving him/her money; to bribe (usually refers to activity that is not aboveboard)”

BUSINESS IN-RED - “to get into debt; to lose money in a business venture”

Here is a video of these vocabulary words.

Please watch this clip to see how you would use these sign in action.

Dialogue 4• What hypothetical situation did Ken

present to Byron? What are the conditions? ?

Situation: You inherited $100,000,000 from a relative. In order to receive the whole sum, you must first spend $10,000,000 within 1 month without: 1. building any assets, 2. donating to poor people, or 3. putting any money into savings.

• What ideas did Byron have (in regards to the hotel and the baseball team)?

Hotel: 1. rent one month’s worth of every room at a very expensive hotel, the Ritz: 2. invite all of his friends to stay at the hotel for the whole month and treat them to fancy meals every day. Baseball team: 1. buy a professional baseball team; 2. pay outlandish salaries to all of the players; and 3. bribe all the players to lose games, so business will suffer, losing money.

Read the questions and answers to this dialogue. Then, watch the video and see if you can catch the key vocabulary used.

Key Vocabulary:

(2h)SPEND-ALL (S->O->S) TREAT

(2h)alt.PRESENT-TO(donate) (2h)TREAT-TO-all

(2h)alt.INVEST GOOD+MONEY

ZERO-BALANCE(2h)alt.WINK+BRIBE

MONEY+RICH (2h)PRESENT-TO BUSINESS IN-RED

GET-LOTS-MONEY (V handshape)

Discussing Finances

(2h)alt. CONTRIBUTE - “everyone contributing or pooling money”

PAY+EARN+SMALL - “small or limited earnings”

STINGY - “to be a cheapskate; to be stingy

Here is a video of these vocabulary words.

Please watch this clip to see how you would use these sign in action.

Dialogue 5

• What was Ken asking the cast to do and why?

Contribute $20 for director’s birthday• Why couldn’t Cinnie afford to

contribute $20.00? She worked at a company for 4 years and never got a raise, cost of living increased and she had large deductions from her paycheck.• How much did Cinnie end up

contributing? $5.00

Read the questions and answers to this dialogue. Then, watch the video and see if you can catch the key vocabulary used.

Key Vocabulary:

(2h)alt.CONTRIBUTE SUBTRACT-FROM-LARGE

PAY+EARN+SMALL COST LIVING GO-UP

NONE PAY INCREASE HAVE-TIGHT-BUDGET

RICH CAN’T+AFFORD

STINGY NEEDY

“Buying a Car - New or Used”

Which car was Missy interested in buying?

the four-door Honda AccordHow much of a down payment could Missy

afford? up to $3,000 for the down payment

How long did Missy want to pay off the loan?

no longer than 5 yearsBesides making a cash down payment,

what was Missy thinking about doing?

trading in her old car

Summarize the pros and cons of buying a new car vs. a used car in the following areas:

*interest: higher for a used car (11%) than for a new car (7.5%)

*monthly payment: higher for a new car ($350) than for a used car ($220)

*value of a car: value of a new car drops by $1,000 once it leaves the dealer’s lot; the value remains about the same for a used car

*car insurance: higher for a new car than for a used car

When Nikki purchased a car a couple of years back, why didn’t she buy a new car?

She was a student at the time and had limited income working part time.

Why does buying a used car seem to be a more attractive option for Missy?

because she would have money left over each month for other car expenses

Read the questions and answers to this dialogue. Then, watch the video and see if you can catch the key vocabulary used.

ReviewDiscussing Finances Vocabulary Words (and used in

action):

DONATE

BE-BROKE

(2h)SPEND-ALL (S→1)

OWE++

HAVE-TIGHT-BUDGET

fs-BILLS

PAY-IN-LARGE-CHUNKS

CAN’T AFFORD

PAY-REGULARLY

INCREASE

LAY-AWAY

PAY++

PAID-OFF

MONEY+ZERO

POUR-MONEY-ON

MONEY+RICH

(2h)alt. PRESENT-TO (donate)

(2h)SPEND

(2h)alt. DONATE

GET-LOTS-MONEY (V handshape)

BUY

ZERO-BALANCE

(2h)TREAT-TO-ALL

(2h)alt. WINK+BRIBE

BUSINESS IN-RED

(2h)alt. CONTRIBUTE

PAY+EARN+SMALL

STINGY

Throughout this presentation, you have learned the following: