ASL III

What’s the difference between…

Language and Communication?

ASL and Gesture?ASL and SEE

Communication doesn’t need language to communicate.

Language NEEDS communication in order to communicate.

Communication – can be by drawing, gesture, flag, etc.

Language – has symbols to govern the language for communication purpose.

ASL is a TRUE language.

Gesture is not a language.

SEE – is not a language. It’s a method to teach deaf children English.

ASL – native language used

by deaf people.

American Sign Language (ASL)

Signing in English Word Order

- Pidgin Sign English (PSE)- Contact Language

Sign Language Continuum

Assumptions of modern languages(OSU, 1991)

Writing does not exist everywhere that spoken/signed language exists.

There are many communities in the world where a written form of language is not used, even in those cultures using a writing system there are individuals who fail to learn the written form of their language. (illiterate)

Writing must be taught, whereas spoken/signed language is acquired automatically.

Language

&

Culture

Historical language changes

English: far out, groovy,

awesome, cool, sweet, gay

dumb

ASL: COW, HORSE, DONKEY, DEAF, SISTER/BROTHER, COMPUTER,

WIFE/HUSBAND, MICROWAVE,

HOME (EAT&SLEEP)

_______________t _____________qASL ITSELF TRUE LANGUAGE(wg)?

ASL is not a written language, nor is there a word-for-sign correlation between ASL and English. For these reasons, this class/textbooks uses glosses to identify the meaning of signs and signed sentences.

These glosses are not intended to be the only appropriate English translation, nor are they exact interpretations of signs. The glosses included in this class/textbooks are cues primarily for instructor to use in linking meaning with the sign or signed discourse.

Linguistics is the scientific study of human language.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistics

Linguistic Components

Semantics

Pragmatic

Syntax

Morphology

Phonology

Linguistic Components

SemanticsPragmatic

Syntax

Morphology

Phonology

semantics

The meanings of words and how they combine into sentence meanings.

The study of MEANING. (Longman, 1992)

Word or Sign may have

one meaning

or

multiple meanings.

semantics

EndsTwenty-year friendship ends at altar.The show ends tomorrow.The road ends in a cul-de-sac.

Run Pat ran home. (go fast by foot)The water is running. (liquid flow)There’s a run in your hose. (tear in stocking)Chris wants to run for president. (compete)

Examples from Buckley (2004)

semantics

PoolI put five dollars in the pool. I threw a stone into the pool.

BankRidge/side of the riverFinancial institution

Examples from Buckley (2004)

Semantics: more examples

Cast- process for selecting a cast of actors.

- to put a cast or a splint on the arm to keep the bones from moving.

- to cast your fishing rod.

Semantics: more examples

File

Arm

Can

Mean

Train

There is more than one correct sign or group of signs that can be used to express the meaning of an English word or words. 

A concept expressed in an ASL sign often cannot be conveyed by a single all-purpose English word. Likewise, English words and phrases may have variations in meaning, which require translations using different ASL signs.

semantic examples

Play (playing cards, act/show)Shot (tired, drink, sent, went over)Bark ( Yell, tree, dog)

Semantic examples

Bar (place to drink, metal rod)Jump (jumping jacks, jumping from

something)Watch (watching someone, wrist watch)Space (outer space, extra space, spaced

out) Stamp (post stamp, stamp on hand)

semantic examples

Board (at the front of a room, piece of wood, get on -plane)

Bound (have your mind stuck)Bound (can’t get out of something)Star (someone famous)Star (something in the sky)

Semantic examples

That’s coolBe CoolCool it offDrive my carYou drive me crazyDrive byI need a breakBreak a legGive us a break

Semantics: With your group, come up with different ways to use the following words:

- Bill

- Fall

- Cheer

- Lie

- Duck

- Fly

- Cold

-Sink

-Hand

-Hard

-Ship

-Bat

-Model

-Book

-Squash

-Lift

-Crash

-Game

-Tape

Also…. Different sentences mean the same thing.

For example:

1) John is an unmarried male.

John is a bachelor.

2) The car bumped the truck.

The truck was bumped by the car.

3) What do you do?

What do you do for living?

4) How are you?

How have you been?

Howdy?

Whassup?

Remember….

ASL ≠ English

Semantics….

The study of ________________

MEANING.

Linguistic Components

Semantics

PragmaticSyntax

Morphology

Phonology

pragmatic

How the interpretation and use of utterances depends on knowledge of the real world. (Longman, 1992)

The effect of situation on language use. (Buckley, 2004)

Meaning and context (OSU, 1991)

pragmatic

These sentences can all express the same request, but often indirectly. (Buckley, 2004)

Please shut the windowI wonder if we should shut the window.It’s cold in here.Do you feel a draft?

“Ask the man upstairs.”

Pragmatic: more examples

Does it look like rain?It’s going to rain.Did you feel water drops?

What are you doing tonight?Got any plans tonight?Anything fun going on?Can I go with you?

pragmatics

I need something to eat.I want to eat.I can eat a horse.

pragmatics

“Have you got any cash on you?”

where the speaker really wants the listener to understand the meaning:

“Can you lend me some money? I don't have much on me.”

Pragmatics

She dribbled the ball down the court and shot a basket.

The birds and the bees.Keep Austin Weird

pragmatic examples

Do you want go out to eat dinner with me?Would you like to see a movie?

It is too long of a trip to go up the stairs. I get tired every time I walk up there. Could the door be any further away?

Pragmatics

There’s a bear behind you!There’s a bear behind you.Run!Did you know there’s a bear behind you?What’s that bear doing in here?

Pragmatics & Semantics

Semantics focuses on the meaning depending on the context (pragmatics)…

Linguistic Components

Semantics

Pragmatic

SyntaxMorphology

Phonology

Syntax

How words are organized into sentences.

The study of how words combine to form a sentence and the rules which govern the formation of sentences. (Longman, 1992)

SyntaxEnglish basic word order is

Subject+Verb+Object (“SVO”).

Kim ate oranges.

ASL basic word order is

Subject/Object+Verb (“SOV” or ”OSV”)

ORANGE KIM EAT-FINISH

KIM ORANGE SHE EAT-FINISH

**Basic** ASL Grammar Order

1) TIME Reference (not duration or tense)2) TOPIC

a) Direct Objecti) assign reference point, if necessaryii) adjectives for direct object

b) Subjecti) assign reference point, if necessaryii) adjectives for subject

3) COMMENTa) Reference point for Object and Subjectb) Verbs

i) Adverbs are implied in nonmanual signals

i) Verb aspectsiii) Helping/conditional verbs come

after the main “action” verb.4) WH-Q

YES/NO-Q Negation/Assertion

Tense (If Time Reference not included. It would be redundant.)Source: Amanda Noark Revised by Lisa Gelineau

Syntax

Example:English – I have to buy the book. S O conditional verb main verb

(CV) (MV)

ASL - BOOK ME BUY HAVE-TO[AF-FO] O S MV CV

SyntaxMore examples:

I went to a grocery store yesterday.

Did he buy the toaster?

She will buy a car.

Linguistic Components

Semantics

Pragmatic

Syntax

MorphologyPhonology

Morphology

- the study of smallest meaningful unit in a language.

- how new words are created from smaller pieces. (Buckley, 2004)

Morphology

Basic Concept Numeral Incorporation Verb-Noun pairsCompoundsTemporal AspectReduplicationSubject-Object AgreementMorphemesClassifiersAnd many more…

Morphology: Basic Concept

- everyday vocabulary

HOUSE, BOAT, SHOES, CANDY, BOOK, CHAIR, BOY

Morphology: Numeral Incorporation

– signs with numbers in it

4-MINUTES, 2-WEEKS, 4-MONTHS,

2-YEARS, THREE-O’CLOCK

Morphology: Noun-Verb Pairs

Noun VerbEnglish: cónvict convíct

ségment segméntprótest protést

ASL: AIRPLANE FLY-TOCHAIR SITBOOK OPEN-BOOKCLOTHES PUT-ON-

CLOTHESNEWSPAPER PRINT

Morphology: Noun-Verb Pairs

Differences:

English: 1) placement of stress2) stress influences vowel

ASL:1) frequency (single or repeated)2) directionality 3) manner (continuous or hold)

Morphology: Compounds

English: HatrackBlackboardHomeworkGreenhouse

ASL:RED^HAIRTRUE^WORKFACE^STRONGFEEL^LIKE

Morphology: CompoundsTwo signs joined to become a new sign.

The movement of each sign is reduced to one time each.Ex: SLEEP + CLOTHES

1x 1x EAT + MORNING 1x 0x

Some signs have historical changes.Ex: BIRD = BEAK + WINGS

Now = BEAK

SPRING = SUMMER + GROW Now = GROW++

Some signs have fluidity principle: formerly two different handshapes, now two similar handshapes.

Ex: HUSBAND SISTER

English ASL (GLOSS) 

Breakfast EAT+MORNING Grocery FOOD+BUYAccidentally, by chance, fate WRONG+HAPPENGold EARRING+YELLOWBuy MONEY+GIVE-TOJust as if, it’s like, for example THINK+SAME-ASClosely resemble, bears a strong resemblance to FACE+STRONGLook like, resemble FACE+SAME-ASMoney in reserve MONEY+BEHINDTo talk about, mention TALK+NAMEParents MOTHER+FATHERSiblings SISTER+BROTHER

Morphology: Compounds

Morphology: Morpheme

1) UnladylikeThe word unladylike consists of three

morphemes.Morpheme breaks:

a) un- 'not'b) lady '(well behaved) female adult

human'c) like 'having the characteristics of‘

None of these morphemes can be broken up any more without losing all sense of meaning. Lady cannot be broken up into "la" and "dy," even though "la" and "dy" are separate syllables. Note that each syllable has no meaning on its own.

Morphemes: More Examples in English

2) Dogs

The word dogs consists of two morphemes.

Morpheme breaks:

a) dog, and

b) -s, a plural marker on nouns

Morphemes: More Examples in English

3) Technique

The word technique consists of only one morpheme.

Even though the word has two syllables, it is a single morpheme because it cannot be broken down into smaller meaningful parts.

(Buckley, 2004)

Morphemes: Examples in ASL

1) 600 (six hundred)

The sign 600 consists of two morphemes.

Morpheme breaks:

a) 6 – 'a number'

b) CL: C - 'hundred‘ (handshape classifier)

Morphemes: More Examples in ASL

2) PUDDLE

The sign PUDDLE consists of two morphemes.

Morpheme breaks:

a) WATER

b) CL: bend-L bend-L

Morphemes: More Examples in ASL

3) BASEBALL

The sign BASEBALL consists of

only one morpheme.

Linguistic Components

Semantics

Pragmatic

Syntax

Morphology

Phonology

Phonology

The study of the smallest sounds or units in a language.

The use and patterning of sounds/signs in language. (Buckley, 2004)

distinctive sound/sign units of a language (Longman, 1992)

Spoken Language – 3 parameters

1) Place of articulation (where)

2) Manner of articulation (how)

3) VOICING ( + OR -)

a) Voiceless: s, f, p, k

b) Voiced: z, v, b, g

Phonology

Phonology

English examples:

pat pad

dog dogs

cónvict (n) convíct (v)

Phonology

Sign Language – 5 parameters

1) Handshape

2) Location

3) Movement

4) Palm Orientation

5) Non-manual Signals

ASL examples:

SOUR BORING

PRINT NEWSPAPER

APPLE ONION

DEFINE DELAY

HOME YESTERDAY

MAYBE BALANCE

WHY? BECAUSE

PRETTY GORGEOUS

Phonology

Location

Movement

Movement

Location

Handshape

Palm Orientation

Non-Manual Signals

Non-Manual Signals

Sources Structure of ASL lecture notes - Byron Bridges

University of Pennsylvania, Introduction to Linguistics lecture notes online - Gene Buckley

B. Bridges & M. Metzger.(1996) Deaf Tend Your. Silver Spring, MD: Calliope Press.

B. Bridges & K. Cagle. The Fifth Parameter: Non-Manual Signals. (videotape/DVD - soon to be released)

C. Lucas & C. Valli. (1995, 2nd ed.) Linguistics of American Sign Language: An Introduction. Washington, D.C.: Gallaudet University Press.

SLNG 1445 course lecture notes at Austin Community College by Byron Bridges, Nathie Marbury, and Lisa Gelineau.

OSU (1991) Language Files, 5th edition. Dept of linguistic at Ohio State University.

www.wikipedia.com

www.dictionary.com

Read/Convey Multiple Meaning Signs Understand ASL Concepts Word Choice: Ability to Convey

Conceptual Signs Sign Vocabulary: Accuracy, Clarity Develop Sense of Whole Message