Transcript asl grammar - Cloudfront.net

ASL GRAMMAR
Why do I have to point twice?

Pointing back to yourself or to the person
you’re talking about shows completion of a
train of thought.
 This allows someone to start signing without
interrupting you.
 Using deixis (index finger) at the end of a
sentence is called a closing signal.
 Closing signals are important when asking
questions using the Question-Maker or the
WH-Face
Closing Signals…

Use a closing signal when:
Making a statement or comment about
yourself or someone else.
 Asking a question

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Examples:
YOU NAME WHAT YOU?
 ME NAME KELLY ME
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Remember…
ASL sentences lacking closing signals
are incomplete
 There is no such thing as a one-word
answer or reply in ASL.
 When responding to a question or
statement, one-word replies are
incomplete.

Question Maker
Raising your eyebrows forms the
Question-Maker, an expression that
shows you are asking a question.
 Keep your eyebrows raised until you’ve
completed signing the question.
 Examples:

I’m going to the bathroom
 Am I going to the bathroom

Little Words (is, to, are)
The grammar and syntax (the order in
which words are put together) of ASL is
different from English.
 ASL does not need “little” words because
these words are already included in the
sign.
 Example:

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THANK YOU

The verb and object are combined in the sign.
Time Signs

Signs that show when something
happens come first in a sentence.

Days of the week, year, last-year, etc.
WH-Signs
WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY
because, WHICH
 These signs go at the end of a sentence!
 WHO may occur at the beginning of a
sentence only if it also occurs at the end.

Grammatical Structures

ASL uses one of two different
grammatical structures depending on
what is being signed.
Topic-Comment
 Subject-Verb-Object (SVO)

Sentence Structure

In ASL you can choose to assemble
words in your sentence in different
orders, depending on the content of your
conversation.
Putting Nouns and Verbs Together
ASL allows you to put the subject before
or after the verb when dealing with
simple sentences; it doesn’t matter which
word comes first.
 Example:

HE SELLS
 ME EAT

Sentences with Direct Objects
Direct object: a word that goes after the
verb and answers the question What? Or
Whom?
 In ASL the direct object can go before
the subject or after the verb.
 Example:

FOOD HE SELLS
 CAR SHE DRIVES

Signing Indirect Objects
Indirect objects: words that come
between the verb and direct object; they
indicate who or what receives the direct
object.
 Example:

GIRL DOG BONE THROW
 ME TEACHER APPLES-me GIVE

Topic-Comment
In topic comment languages the signer
presents information then makes the
information either a statement or a
question by adding a comment.
 English does not use topic-comment
structure often so becoming used to ASL
Grammar can be a challenge.
Topic-Comment
Keep in mind that while using ASL signs
in English word order may be easy to do,
it is no different than speaking Spanish
but following English Word order- You
wont make sense in either language.
 Example: What you name?

Topic: you
 Comment: name
 YOU NAME WHAT YOU?

Sentence Structure
Time + Topic + Comment

Topic

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
Time
Place
Description

Comment


Actor
Action
Topic Comment Practice
John’s mom showed up at his apartment this
morning and told him she had a surprise for
him.
 Sissy had to hurry to get to the university, so
this morning she didn’t eat.
 Jose has a really cool apartment. It is over
there by the university.
 See the woman over there, the tall, thin one
with the blonde hair in the pink dress?

Topic Comment Practice cont…
Marci’s not feeling good today. She’s hot
and then cold.
 I don’t know what I smell but something
stinks.
 Mr. Smith teaches at the High School.
Wow! Was he mad today!
 Today I didn’t have class so I spent all
day reading a good book.

Subject-Verb-Object
Use when WH-signs are not needed
 More familiar to English speakers.
 Why often acts as a bridge or connector
between two separate SVO phrases.
 When using WHY raise your eyebrows.
 Example:
_________neg ___^


ME GO SCHOOL WHY? ME SICK.
AND/OR

Does he want a blue or black pen?


HE WANT PEN BLUE BACK WHICH? HE
I need this one and that one.

ME NEED IX-this IX-that ME.
True-Biz

Means literally
ACCEPT-HARD

Too bad just accept it for what it is.
FOR-FOR
Why?
 What for.

SEE-SEE
Oh I see!
 Oh I understand.

DO-DO
What are you doing?
 What did you do?
 What do you do?

Numbers 1-5

Numbers 1-5 always face you except
when signing addresses and telephone
numbers.
INSIDE
The sign inside is a literal sign that
means to be inside of.
 Avoid using it when signing IN December
or IN the future.

Compound Signs

Many words in ASL are compound signs.
Two separate signs that are combined to
make an additional meaning.
 Example: parents, sunny, grandparents

Listing & Ordering
Making a visual list of information such
as names or ages is called listing.
 The non-dominant hand forms a list with
each new bit of information signed by the
dominant hand.
 Example:


Marc is the first, I’m the 2nd, and Lila is the
3rd child.
Fixing Mistakes
Mistakes are guaranteed to happen,
whether you are fluent in a language or
not.
 The most common ways to fix a mistake
are:

Oops
 Slip-mind
 Um, uh
 Wave-no

Pronouns and Number
Use the ASL pronoun that shows the
particular number of people being talked
about whenever possible.
 When the exact number is unknown use
the general pronouns we, us, or they.

Pronouns

General Pronoun: We, Us (up to 8)

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General Pronoun: you (plural)


You and I, Us three, the four of us.
You two, you three, the four of you
General Pronoun: they, them, those

These two, those three, the four of them.
Pronoun Drill
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Those four
You and me
You three
You and her
These five
You, me, and him
She and I
Two of them
Us two