ASL Sentence Structure: The Basics American Sign Language

WARM UP Review possessive signs and colors on pages 92-93 in your Master ASL! Textbook.

Topic-Comment Sentence Structure American Sign Language uses different grammatical structures depending upon what is being talked about. One such structure is called topic-comment sentence structure or object-subject-verb (OSV) sentence structure. Example: STORE ME GO

Topic-Comment Sentence Structure (continued) In topic-comment sentence structure, the signer presents information and then makes the information either a statement or a question by adding a comment. English does not use topic-comment sentence structure so becoming used to ASL grammar can be a challenge. Keep in mind that while using ASL signs in English word order may be easy to do, it is no different that speaking in Spanish but following English word order – you won’t make sense in either language.

Rhetorical Sentence Structure The rhetorical in ASL uses the WH-Signs but with the YES/NO Face instead of the WH-Face. You are indicating to the signer that you know the answer. After signing the WH-Sign, you will continue the sentence by answer the WH-question you posed in the first half of the sentence.

“AND / OR” ASL Sentence Structures OR indicates WHICH Keeping in line with Topic-Comment Sentence Structure, you would sign the choices first and then sign WHICH AND indicates BOTH Again, keeping in line with Topic-Comment Sentence Structure, you would sign the choices first and then sign BOTH.

Sample Sentences of Each Sentence Structure English Sample Sentence: I am going to the store to buy more milk. Topic-Comment Sentence Structure: MILK RUN-OUT STORE ME GO BUY Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) Sentence Structure: CANNOT BE USED BECAUSE THIS IS NOT A SIMPLE SENTENCE. Rhetorical Sentence Structure: ME GO STORE WHY BUY MORE MILK

Sample Sentences of Each Sentence Structure (continued) English Sample Sentence: I am going to the store to buy more milk and bread. AND Sentence Structure: ME STORE GO. ME BUY MILK BREAD BOTH. Are you going to the store to buy milk or orange juice? OR Sentence Structure: YOU GO STORE YOU? YOU BUY MILK ORANGE #J WHICH?

Unit Three Vocabulary City/Town Close/Far Page 94 – Favorites Love it! Page 96 – Email New/Old Pager/Video Phone Page 105 – Seasons Page 106 – Holidays https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q93FMToC5E Page 109-110 - Weather