Dr. Bill Vicars Lifeprint.com

Linguistics of American Sign Language

Lexical Categories (5th Edition Pages 100 – 111)

Lexical = "words or vocabulary"

Lexical Unit = "a word" (or a sign)

Lexical Categories =

Nouns Verbs Adjectives Adverbs etc.

Can divide signs into two types:

“Content Signs” & “Function Signs”

“Content Signs” Examples:

nouns verbs adjectives adverbs

Function signs include:

pronouns prepositions conjunctions

What are some “Content Signs" lexical categories?

noun verb adjective adverb

What are some Function Signs lexical categories?

pronouns prepositions and conjunctions

If a lexical category tends to accept new signs it is "open."

If a lexical category doesn’t accept new signs it is "closed."

Example: Sometimes we need new nouns…

MICROWAVE I-PHONE E-Mail

We don't seem to need new pronouns:

"it"

Existing pronouns can refer to new nouns.

So we don't need new pronouns.

So, the lexical category of "pronoun" is closed.

Topic: “Nouns”

Name sign: “Dr. Bill”

Name sign: Katie

= noun

CHICAGO = noun

#SEARS = noun

#DENNY'S = noun

COMPUTER TABLE THEORY = noun

Nouns include: individuals …

places…

concrete things…

abstract things

Nouns tend to be countable.

How do you make a noun plural in English?

Generally you add an "s"

How do you make a noun plural in ASL?

reduplication

brothers = BROTHER++

sisters = SISTER++

words = WORD++

plants = PLANT++

"Verbs"

Verbs =

actions …

events …

processes …

states of being …

RUN

WALK

ENJOY

LIKE

HELP

INFORM

Topic: "Adjectives"

Adjectives describe nouns

Adjective examples:

opinions

sizes

age

color

Adjectives tend to appear before nouns

Adj after noun = "adjectival predicate"

Example: MOVIE, FUNNY

adj FUNNY (after movie) acts as a verb

Ex: The movie is funny!

Adjectives can be modified…

TALL MAN vs …

VERY-TALL MAN

Topic: "Adverbs"

Adverbs are used to…

express manner

indicate temporal frequency

modify adjectives

modify other adverbs

English tends to use "-ly"

ASL modifies via "articulation"

Articulation means…

"How a sign is produced"

Example: SIT vs…

SIT-FOR-LONG-TIME

Adverbs also indicate "when" …

YESTERDAY

TWO-WEEKS-AGO

NEXT-TWO-DAYS

STILL

Example: TOMORROW PRO-1 WORK

CLOSED LEXICAL CATEGORIES…

Pronouns Modal_verbs Prepositions & Conjunctions

What does a pronoun do?

Represents an already identified…

PERSON

PLACE

THING

English: he, she, it, them, us

How are ASL pronouns different from English pronouns?

ASL only has two categories of pronouns:

1. Pronouns that point at oneself

2. Pronouns that point away from self

PRO-1 = I / me

PRO = you, he, she, it, they

English has 3 categories of pronouns:

1st person: I / me

2nd person: you

3rd person: he/she

Another difference: subject and object pronouns

English: I / me we / us he / him

ASL: initial location / final location (direction)

ASL has "numeral morphemes"…

ASL pronouns can identify a specific number

PRO-MULTI-THREE (first person)

PRO-MULTI-THREE (non-first person)

Examples:

PRO-1 = I/ME

PRO-DUAL-1 = "WE-2"

"you 2"

"you 3"

"those three"

PRO-PL-1 = "we"

PRO-PL = "they"

Topic: "Modal Verbs"

Modal verbs express: necessity or possibility

Usually modal verbs come before other verbs

Sometimes modal verbs come after a verb

verb > modal verb = "emphasis"

Examples:

WILL

CAN

MUST

SHOULD

Topic: Modal Verb "emphasis"

What is the difference between these concepts in ASL?...

should need-to must

Playful intensity: MUST!-[4-fingers]

Topic: "prepositions"

Prepositions show relationships of nouns

English: under, on, in, above, with, do, etc.

ASL: "depiction"

depiction used to be called "classifiers"

depiction = showing how

Predicate = "says something about"

"Predicate" = "comment"

ASL prepositions tend to incorporate…

more information, for example…

INSIDE-(near_chest)+ = "inner feelings"

Example…

OLD FEELING STILL INSIDE-MY-CHEST

Topic: Conjunctions

Conjunctions join words or phrases

ASL conjunctions: …

BUT

UNDERSTAND

#OR

PLUS

Examples…

PRO BRING #TV, SHELF PLUS S-O-F-A

PRO CAN GO STORE UNDERSTAND HELP MOTHER FIRST



Dr. Bill Vicars Lifeprint.com