1. CONCLUSION & DISCUSSION
“What Did You Say?: InterpreEng Constructed AcEon
& Constructed Dialogue from ASL
ChrisEne McQuaid
Gallaudet University
INT 429; Spring 2016
METHODOLOGY & DATA COLLECTION
The narrative text analyzed for use of CA and CD was a story told by a Deaf woman named Rhonda Jennings, a student or renowned ASL and Deaf Studies scholar Ben Bahan. The source text was delivered in ASL and was accompanied by a live voiced interpretation into English. The story was performed as part of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and was recorded and published by the Smithsonian Institution. The sample was divided into eight chunks of narrative containing instances of CA and/or CD and were coded with ASL gloss and the corresponding English translation.
In the following samples, the superscript denotes the character whose actions or speech is being conveyed. Bolded texts beneath subscripted samples denote instances of constructed dialogue, while italics denote constructed action.
INTRODUCTION
Constructed action (CA) and
Constructed dialogue (CD) are instances in which a speaker recreates the actions or comments of another speaker within a narrative. Depiction, use of space, and role
shifting all serve to differentiate between speakers in instances of CA and CD. When
interpreting from a ASL into English, it can be challenging to make these small but
meaningful shifts in dialogue more clearly explicit in spoken target languages. This
paper serves as an observational analysis of instances of CA and CD when they are interpreted from ASL into English.
LITERATURE REVIEW
ANALYSIS
Eight instances of constructed action were observed; they were not interpreted as narrations describing actions but were instead expansions based on the goal of the action. Four instances of constructed dialogue were identified in the source text; three were interpreted through indirect speech and one was omitted. There was no use of reported speech in the sample.
CONCLUSION & DISCUSSION
RESULTS
The goal of this research was to identify how interpreters work through instances of constructed action and constructed dialogue when working from ASL into English. One vulnerability in this study is the language used between characters in the narrative.
Because the dialogue occurs between a signer and a non-signer, the exchange occurs
through a great deal gestural communication rather than ASL-based dialogue. Therefore this study may not reflect the work of the majority of interpreters as they work predominantly with fluent signers.
This information could provide a focus of study for students and novice practitioners. One of the most challenging aspects of sign- to-voice interpreting is the use of space and role shifting. A focus on voicing instances of CA and CD would better prepare students and rising interpreters for exposure to grassroots ASL users, thus making them more versatile service providers.
“Constructed dialogue” was a term first coined by linguist Dr. Deborah Tannen (1989) to describe “the contextualization of words in a current discourse” (p 17). She identifies two types of retelling: “reported speech” and “indirect speech”. Reported speech is defined as an instance in which a thought or statement is directly quoted (p.
39). Indirect speech occurs when a “third- person report” is provided, rather than an exact quote (p. 39).
Dr. Melanie Metzger (1995) extrapolates the principles of constructed dialogue to instances of constructed action in ASL; CA is defined as any action performed or not performed by individuals within a narrative. Metzger describes constructed action as “role playing, in which the signer assumes the posture and actions of a character” (p.
257). Markers for constructed action
parallel those to markers of constructed dialogue, and both are commonly used in America Sign Language.
REFERENCES
Ben Bahan and Rhonda Jennings Share Their ASL Stories. (2013, July 23). Retrieved April 11, 2016, from hUp:// 2013/ben-­‐bahan-­‐and-­‐rhonda-­‐jennings-­‐share-­‐their-­‐asl-­‐stories/ Liddell, ScoU Grammar, Gesture, and Meaning in American Sign Language, 157–175. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Metzger, Melanie Constructed Dialogue and Constructed Ac/on in American Sign Language. In Ceil Lucas (ed.) The Sociolinguis/cs of the Deaf Community. San Diego; Academic Press.
Roy, Cynthia Features of Discourse in an American Sign Language Lecture. In Ceil Lucas (ed.) The Sociolinguis/cs of the Deaf Community. San Diego; Academic Press.
Tannen, Deborah Talking voices, repe//on, dialogue, and imagery in conversa/onal discourse. Cambridge; Cambridge University Press.
Thumann, M. (2011). Iden/fying depic/on: Constructed ac/on and constructed dialogue in ASL presenta/ons. In C.B. Roy (Ed.) Discourse in signed languages (Vol. 17, pp. 46).
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