American Sign Language Linguistics

Rules of Grammar Phonology Morphology Syntax Semantics lexicon

Phonology Think phone-SOUND Sound system-phonemes Phonetics are the rules for handshapes candy(hs 1) (location-cheek) (twist forward) apple(hs-modified x) (location-cheek) (twist forward) jealous(hs i) (location-cheek) (twist forward)

Phonology continued Location Movement Summer (forehead) Ugly (beneath nose) Dry (chin) Same hand shape (1 to X) Same movement (single swipe across face) Different location Tape (double bounce forward) Chair (double tap=noun) Train (back and forth) Same hand shape (H) Same location (Neutral) Different movement

Morphology Structure of words ASL has it’s own rules for the creation of words ASL has root, affix, free, bound, lexical content, grammatical, derivational, inflectional morphemes

Morphemes are the portion of a word that makes a difference in the meaning English ASL Roots Prefixes suffixes Mouth movements Eye gaze head tilt Body position

100 different mouth movements in ASL that replace or complement English adjectives and adverbs Angela worked hard on her album ASL ANGELA WORK (pursed lips) PICTURE BOOK

Syntax How words may be combined into phrases and sentences ASL shares NO grammatical similarities to English ASL has TOPIC-COMMENT syntax When signing topic raise eyebrows/tilt head forward Pause

Topicalization-topic/comment When signing topic raise eyebrows/tilt head forward Pause between the topic and comment Hold the last sign English-Do you enjoy learning ASL? ASL- Topic-LEARN ASL Comment-YOU ENJOY

Simple sentence Simple sentence in English can usually be translated in the same word order in ASL The order of signs is not critical because the MEANING is CLEAR…even when order is changed

Semantics The ways in which sounds and meanings are related

ASL does NOT have signs for word endings--- Affixes Ing Ment Ness Tion Example…I’m learning ASL ME LEARN ASL (progressive tense)

ASL vs English ASL English OSV Object-subject-verb ASL ME ENJOY Side note: 6 possible orders SOV, SVO, VSO, VOS, OVS, and OSV SVO Subject-verb-object I enjoy ASL Most frequent word order in languages of the world are SVO, VSO, and SOV

Lexicon-WORDS Words are an important part of linguistic knowledge But one can learn thousands of words in a language and STILL NOT know the language Lexically borrowed words-one language borrows from another language Lexicalization: #JOB, #BACK, #BUS

Arbitrary vs. Iconic Arbitrary Iconic Signs DO NOT reflect the form or movement of the object, or concept they represent WRONG NAME FAMILY Signs DO reveal information about their meaning TREE CAT

Facial Grammar Movement of you head and the features of your face are a CRITICAL part of ASL Help communicate the MEANING of your signs What you do with your face and eyes is called FACIAL GRAMMAR Voice to your face Eye contact