Sentence Structure in ASL* Referent, Index, Shift Deaf

When communicating with a deaf person in ASL it is important that you:

* Always be an active listener by nodding your head affirmatively or to negate if you do not understand * Maintain eye contact, * ask for repetition you do not understand.

Body Shift

A body shift is used while signing to represent two or more characters in a conversation or signed story. This is done by shifting your upper torso to your left or right.

What is Topic-Comment Format?

Both of the aforementioned sentences are in Topic-Comment format. As we've already established, the topic is what you are talking about and the comment makes observations about that topic. Topic is for the first item mentioned in a sentence (whether it is the subject or object) and the comment is the latter, and it makes a comment about the topic. So let's take a look at those sentences again:

For a conditional clause, can the same ASL sign HAPPEN be used for the English concept of "since" and "when"?

English: When/Since it is raining nonstop, we'll postpone the gold game. Yes, SINCE/WHEN/HAPPEN are the same ASL sign for conditional clauses

Negation

You can negate a thought by placing a negitive sign before the verb or by first describing a topic and then signing the appropriate negative sign or giving a negative handshake. Example: ME NOT WATCH FOOTBALL GAME. ME CHEAT, NEVER. ME GO HOME NOW? NEG-headshake.

Memorize the second half of the mouth morphemes listed in the Intermediate Level: a) /po/ b) /ps/ c) /shh/ d) /wag tongue side to side repeatedly/

a) burned-out light, competent/good at/expert, disappointing, eye-popping/stunning, forgot, knowledgable, spot (v), shot-H, small, zap b) fortunate, lucky, true-business c) be quiet, gobble up, should, taunt, use exceedingly, wild time d) feel good, must, really want

How can the English use of apostrophe /-'s/ for possession be expressed in ASL?

a) can be replaced with a possessive pronoun: KENDALL HIS b) can be left out altogether: KENDALL /✕/

What should you do instead of signing "and"

Point towards different locations

Example of NDH as a time referent instead of my body.

Postpone

Which way do you lean second when using the contrastive structure?

Second lean to your dominant side

Contrastive Structure

Shoulder shifting is used to indicate multiple people or activities. Can signify "and" or help draw comparisons. Raise eyebrows whenever a new object is referred to with the shoulder shift. Eg. I have two sisters, one 7 and one 13 (shift shoulder to identify each individual)

Contrastive structure

Shoulder shifting to distinguish pieces of information ------------------ First lean to your non-dominant side

For what primary purposes are prepositions in ASL?

The primary purpose for using prepositions in ASL is LOCATION: ABOVE TABLE, NEXT-TO TABLE, ON TABLE, UNDER TABLE, INSIDE CABINET

Compare & Contrast

The second referent is on the rightside of the signer (left side for left-handed signer)

Subject of a sentence

The subject of a sentence is the part that says what the sentence is about. The subject contains the main noun or noun phrase of the sentence. For example, in English, the subject of the sentence, "The girl kicked the ball," would be "girl."

What is reversal of orientation?

This is one way to form a negative. When you reverse your palm orientation of some signs, you can express the opposite of the meaning of the original sign. For example, you can change the sign for WANT to DON'T-WANT by signing WANT then reversing your palm orientation so your palms are facing downward while using a negative facial expression.

Role Shifting

This is when you take on the "role" of another person. By doing this, you can show what each person said, did, or felt. Essentially, you can sign a whole story using role shifting. Instead of signing "she said" and then "he said," you can turn your body slightly to the left to sign the comments of one person and then turn your body slightly to the right to sign the comments of the other person. This way, you can "role play" each person.

How do you indicate 'and' & 'or' in an ASL sentence?

Use the contrastive structure

2nd way condition sentences are made

condition is preceded by either SUPPOSE or IF

what is the 1st step when using comparative sentences

establish one person, place, thing, or idea on one side of the body and the other on the other side of the body

Listed people can be used as referents when giving more information. Give example

ex: brother, sister 3 have me

what is the 2nd step when using comparative sentences

indicate which one you will comment on

Contrastive StructureShoulder shifting

is used to indicate multiple people or activities. Can signify "and" or help draw comparisons. Raise eyebrows whenever a new object is referred to with the shoulder shift. Eg. I have two sisters, one 7 and one 13 (shift shoulder to identify each individual)

In compare & contrast, when pointing to each referent, (finger, eyes, body position)

point to each referent, use eye gaze, and slight shoulder shift ------------------ left (right side for left-handed signer)

Topic is shown by

raise eyebrows and sometimes head tilted upward, then a slight pause before the comment part

The use of WHY to connect two parts of a sentence

subject+verb+object, raise eyebrows to make question-maker face when signing why,

In ASL, when it comes to portraying space, which comes first?

the setting in which the object is used

In an imperative sentence

the verb can come at the beginning or end.

Clarification requests (like, please repeat, don't understand) are said with

wh- question expression not understand, again please again slow please spell again

Sequence for describing people

1. Gender 2. ethnicity 3. Height 4. Body type 5. Eyes, hair etc

8 Basic sentence types

1. Yes/No - 2. WhQ - 3. Rhq - 4. Negation - 5. command - 6. topicalization - 7. conditional - "wiggle" 8. question

Comparative Sentences - how

1. establish one person, place, thing, or idea on one side of the body and the other on the other side of the body 2. indicate which one you will comment on

What are 4 sentence types?

1.Questions, 2.Declarative 3. Conditional 4. topicalization

Another name for a "comment" is the term "predicate." explain http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-layout/grammar.htm

In general, ASL sentences follow a "TOPIC" "COMMENT" arrangement. Another name for a "comment" is the term "predicate." A predicate is simply a word or phrase that says something about a topic. In general, the subject of a sentence is your topic. The predicate is your comment.

Indexing

It is when you set up a point to refer to a person or object that is or is not present in the signing area. This is also known as referencing or creating referents. If the person or object is present, you can just point at him, her, or it to mean HE/HIM, SHE/HER, or IT. If the person or object is not present; you would first need to identify the person or object. Then, you can "index" the person or object to a point in space. Once you have set up this referent, you can refer back to that same point every time you want to talk about that person or object. To refer to the referents you would use personal pronouns, possessive pronouns, or directional verb signs.

Listing and Ordering Technique

Making a visual list of names or ages by pointing to different fingers on non-dominant hand. Used when providing several details about more than one person/thing.

Conditional Sentences

The conditional clause is described first, then the outcome follows. Signing SUPPOSE will clearly mark the conditional clause. face expressions needed EX. SUPPOSE SHE SEE ME, ME MUST LEAVE. SUPPOSE TONIGHT SNOW, TOMORROW NO SCHOOL. First the condition is described then the outcome of this condition is described. The condition can be clearly maked with the use of the sign SUPPOSE. Example: SUPPOSE HE SHOW-UP, DO-what YOU? (If he shows up, what are you going to do about it?) ------------------ In ASL, these are sentences that follow an if/then structure where the facial expressions for the "if" part of the sentence are specific and different from the facial expressions for the "then" part of the sentence. For example, in ASL, the sentence, "TODAY RAIN, GAME CANCEL" is a conditional sentence. This sentence translates into "If it rains today, the game will be cancelled" in English.