A Review of ASL Grammar and Structure

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Sign_Language_grammar

Jazmine's Post!

Hello bloggers!!!
This week its me!!! Jazmine

First i would like you to watch this new mainstream music video by Jim Jones that i seen last week on BET

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMmlTG6FUD0

The two rappers signs were way off but besides that, what do you think about this video, and how they put ASL in the video.

and answer the questions

Is this video making people more aware of the deaf community?

Is there a better way the director could have make this video more ASL friendly?

classifiers and hulk

Friday Assignment:

You must watch this video, select a part you wish to sign, and sign it in class for 1 minute. Be sure to incorporate at least 5 classifiers. Try to copy the video the best you can. Do this to the best of your abilities. Practice this several times before class on Friday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZjAVRjxMHU

What are Classifiers?

Classifiers are handshapes that are used to represent general categories or "classes" of things. Another definition is: "A set of handshapes that represent classes of things that share similar characteristics."

• They can be used to describe the size and shape of an object (or person).

• They can be used to represent the object itself, or the way the object moves or relates to other objects (or people).



Some of the more popular classifiers:
CL:1 Things that are (relatively) long and skinny. A pencil, a stick, a person.
CL:A an object in a certain location. A house, a lamp.
CL:3- vehicles, [motorcycle, park a car, row of cars, accident, garage]
CL:4-[CURTAIN]
CL:5-[scads of]
CL:B- flat things[roof, flat, wall]
CL:C-[thick things, round pole-like things]
CL:C-(index and thumb) pepperoni, cookies, campaign buttons
CL:F
CL:G- thin things (or degree of thinness)
CL:L(bent)-[large, big-headed/egoistic/conceited, check, card, square]
CL:L-[check, card, square]
CL:V- legs, a person walking-(upside-down V), two people walking, [stand, walk-to, lay down, toss-and-turn, dive, jump, skate board, scooter, get up]
CL:V (bent fingers) = a small animal, or a larger animal sitting.
CL:Y Very wide things. A fat person walking. A hippopotamus's mouth.
________________________________________

________________________________________

Below are some examples of "types" of classifiers. I don't expect you to get a handle on these just because I list them. This list is from a study guide I hand out to my students while giving a two-hour seminar during semesters or times when I'm teaching from the Vista, Signing Naturally curriculum (Lentz, Mikos, & Smith, 1988) but I thought you would enjoy seeing a sample the diversity of classifiers out there (there are thousands more than I'm indicating here). Note: I've modified the list a bit and added some of my own information.

• Descriptive Classifiers (DCL), are also known as size and shape specifiers, (SASSes). They describe a person or object.

DCL:B (or bent B) "extremely tall" [Explanation: to represent the descriptive classifier "extremely tall" you hold the "bent 'B' hand" high in the air while using an appropriate facial expression."]
DCL:B (or bent B) "short"
DCL:4 "long hair"
DCL:1 "bulletin board"
DCL:1 "black board"
DCL:4 (claw) "freckles"
DCL:4 "striped"
DCL:G "thin"
DCL:4 (claw) "curley hair"

• Semantic Classifiers, represent categories of nouns. For example, people or vehicles.

SCL:1 (person) "walking fast"
SCL:1 (person) "person walks to...____"
SCL:3 (car) "drives to____"
SCL:Y (fat person) "waddling"
SCL:flattened-O (fast-car) "cruising"
SCL:bent-V (row of chairs)

• Locative Classifiers, show placement or spatial information about an object. Sometimes indicate movement.

LCL:C/LCL:B "place cup on napkin"
LCL:5 "leaf floating to the ground"
LCL:1 (sticks) "one here-one here"
LCL:B "shelf" (over to the right)
LCL:1 "goal-posts"
(2h)LCL:L "adjust a picture"

• Plural classifiers
Indicating a specific number or a non-specific number.
PCL:2 "two people walking"
PCL:4 "long line of people"
PCL:4 "people moving in line"
PCL: 5 "hordes of _____." Often called "scads of."
PCL:V "people seated in a circle"

• Instrument Classifiers, you use your hands (or an other part of your body) to manipulate an "object."

ICL "driving"
ICL "hammer in a nail"
ICL "play checkers"
ICL "play chess"
ICL "light match"
ICL (broom) ICL "sweep"
ICL (water) ICL"pour in"
ICL (garbage) ICL "dump out"
ICL (wash-clothes) ICL "hang up"

• Body Classifiers/Mime
You use your body to "act out" or "role play." Sometimes this is like "mime." Other times you just show the action (or interaction) that is going on. Often this involves "role shifting."

"yawn"
"acting tough"
"give hug to child"
"running hard/pumping arms"
"wave to crowd"
"listen for strange noise"

• Bodypart classifiers
A specific part of your body is doing an action.

(2h)BPCL:F "look at"
BPCL "kick back" (relax)
BPCL "cross legs"
BPCL ""tap foot"
BPCL "use gesture looking up"
BPCL:flat-C "big grin"
BPCL:L "red face" shy
BPCL:B "mouth frowning"

________________________________________
Student: I don't get what it means in the outline where it says: SCL:1 (person) "walking fast"

DrVicars: Oh okay then... let me clarify that.

The SCL simply identifies the general category.
The ":" means what a normal colon means.
The "1" represents making a "one" handshape with you index finger.
The ( ) tells you what it is representing--you have to pre-identify this in your sentence or conversation.
The manner or how it was done is in the "quotes"
So if I wanted to show "Bob" walking fast, I would fingerspell his name, then hold up that finger and move it quickly across my signing space. That would be a classifier indicating how he is moving.
________________________________________
In a message dated 4/2/2006 12:52:00 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, John L. writes:
I have a question for you, can you give me a definition for "Classifier Predicates"?
John,
Classifier Predicates:
A classifier (in ASL) is a sign that represents a general category of things, shapes, or sizes.
A predicate is the part of a sentence that modifies (says something about or describes) the topic of the sentence or some other noun or noun phrase in the sentence. (Valli & Lucas, 2000)
Example: JOHN HANDSOME
The topic is “John” the predicate is an “adjective predicate” describing John’s appearance.
Example: JOHN RUN
The topic is “John” the predicate is a “verb predicate” stating what John did or is doing.
Example: JOHN BED
The topic is “John” the predicate is a “noun predicate” stating John’s location.
Example: JOHN CL:FF “eyes quickly looked at right”
The topic is “John” the predicate is a “classifier predicate” indicating that John quickly looked to his right.
Whenever you use a classifier to describe the shape, size, movement, or location of a noun, you are using a “classifier predicate.”
Bill
________________________________________
Classifier: 1 or index finger CL:1
Classifier: 3 CL:3
Classifier: 5
Classifier: A
Classifier: B and Classifier; BB
Classifier: F
Classifier: H,R, and 4
Classifier: Inverted V and bent inverted V
Classifier: Quantifiers
Classifiers: Size, Location, Movement
________________________________________

Submitted by a reader:

Element classifiers: Describe things that do not have specific shapes or sizes, and are usually in constant motion.
ECL:4 "a running faucet"
ECL:5wg "a candle flame"
ECL:1 (zig zag) "a flash of lightning"
ECL:flat O----->spread C "twinkling lights"

________________________________________
References:
Lentz, E. M., Mikos, K., Smith, C., & Dawn Sign Press. (1988). Signing naturally teacher's curriculum guide. San Diego, CA: DawnSign Press.
Valli, C. & Lucas, C. (2000). Linguistics of American Sign Language. (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press.

Expressive Presentation and Expressive Session (Final)

Expressive Presentation: Deaf Related Topic
May 2-6
Students will be assigned MW or F

Preparation
The content:
• Research your topic
• Prepare an outline of your presentation
o Write 3 or 4 main points which you want to develop
o Write 2 or 3 sub-headings for each main point
• Develop your information using these headings
• Transfer the headings to overhead transparencies (OHTs) or PowerPoint slides
• Mark on your notes when you intend to use an OHT or audio-visual aid, and write down any statistics or examples to support your points
• Prepare some open-ended questions to stimulate discussion after your presentation, if required
Audio-visual aids
• Prepare visual aids e.g., OHTs, PowerPoint slides, pictures, videos, models
• Prepare any material for handouts (e.g., a summary of your presentation)
• Remember that visual aids are AIDS and should not distract the audience from the spoken delivery
• Use the 7 x 7 rule: no more than seven lines of seven words per slide or OHT
• Use a plain font like Arial and a large font size (e.g., 22 point) on your visual aids
• Cue any tapes and videos so they are ready for immediate use
The room
• Check the equipment is functioning properly and you can use it confidently
• Leave enough time to rearrange the furniture, if necessary
Your delivery
• Practice using the equipment and your visual aids
• Practice making eye contact with people in different parts of the room
• Make a tape recording of your delivery to check how your voice sounds
• Time yourself to check your presentation is not too short or too long
• Practice in front of a mirror
Structure
An oral presentation is structured much the same way as an essay: Introduction, Body and Conclusion. You will be assessed on evidence of your preparation from academic sources, the relevance of your material to the topic, critical analysis of the topic and the logical structure of your presentation.
However, because your information/argument is spoken rather than written, there are some further considerations:
1. Introduction - tells your audience what you are going to tell them
o Provides some brief background information to show why your topic is important/relevant
o Outlines the structure of your presentation, the order in which you will present your information
o Attracts the audience's attention with, for example, a relevant quote, story, or question for the audience
10% of allotted time
2. Body - tells them
o Contains the main argument of the presentation
o Presents the issues relating to the main argument (thesis statement)
o Includes support/evidence for each of the main issues using:
- statistics
- diagrams
- reference to other research
- examples, reasons
o Is presented in a logical way, using explicit signalling phrases and connectives to signal a new point, an example, a contrast, etc.
70% of allotted time
3. Conclusion - tells them what you told them
o Summarizes the main points discussed in the body
o Evaluates the importance of the information
o Reviews any implications
o Brings the presentation to a smooth and natural close
o Leaves the audience with ideas to think about (e.g., a quote or question)
o If appropriate, gives the audience the chance to ask questions
20% of allotted time

Delivery
• Introduce yourself to the audience
• Clearly outline the structure and content of your presentation
• Engage the audience using eye contact
• Use your notes, but look up frequently: NEVER read your information
• Speak clearly and try to look relaxed and confident
• Signal your points showing how ideas relate to each other
My next point is
In contrast
• Don't speak while giving handouts to the audience
• Look at the audience while referring to points on OHTs or slides
• Make sure you keep to the allotted time for your presentation

Audience participation
If your lecturer expects this to be included in your presentation, you can encourage the audience to participate in discussion by:
• asking open questions or personalising the issues
• beginning the presentation with a brief handout displaying interesting questions, key concepts or a diagram
• setting a problem-solving task for small groups to discuss
• using the PAIR discussion strategy near the beginning and again at various times during your presentation:
P repare by taking a minute to jot the answer to an interesting general question
A sk other people about their jottings for a minute or so
I nteract for further discussion in the same pairs, or threes or fours
R eflect on or Revise the initial jotting (a brief sentence only)


Requirements:

Time
• 7-10 minutes of expressive presentation on topic ( no less then 7 minutes)
• After you can completed your presentation you must have Q and A for an additional 3 minutes

Need an outline
• Outline in English
• Outline translated into ASL (use guide from Learning ASL book)
Power point
• Must have 10 slides
• Must enhance presentation not hinder

Grammatical/Structure
*Must demonstrate fluency in Intermediate level

~Sign Fluency at Intermediate ASL II level
~Knowledge of Vocabulary and execution
~Grammar Knowledge and execution
~Body Language and Spacial location
~Classifiers
~Clarity and flow
~Fingerspelling and Numbers
~Facial grammar and expression


Expressive Session:
Tuesday, May 10
12:00pm

Students will need to sign up in pairs or individually for a final expressive session. This session will last 10 minutes and will cover our weekly topics. Please see syllabus to review. This session will take place during our final exam time. A sign up sheet will be posted on my door during the last week of classes.

Students will be graded on:

~Sign Fluency at Intermediate ASL II level
~Knowledge of Vocabulary and execution
~Grammar Knowledge and execution
~Body Language and Spacial location
~Classifiers
~Clarity and flow
~Fingerspelling and Numbers
~Facial grammar and expression

ASSIGNMENT FOR WEDNESDAY!

Convince your classmates to do something out of the ordinary.
Pick something and provide us with reasons to do it. Have at least 5 reasons.

The first time:
• Use formal language with signs used as their exact citations
• Pretend your audience are professionals and you need to sell this to them

The second time:
• Use informal or conversational language usage. Modify signs to suit your needs for rapid discourse
• Pretend your audience is a group of your peers and you are pressuring them to do this


Your language usage should be appropriate for your audience and obvious for us to identify and see the difference. This skill is crucial in developing your fluency skills. This is the next level of learning ASL.

For Wednesday do the same thing but convince us to buy something!!!!! Research a product and provide us with factual information. This needs to be typed in ASL and brought to class for Wednesday’s participation points. You need to do this formally and informally/conversationally. Please provide a visual aid.

Please use class time productively. I NEED you to sign at all times. You are only hindering your development and also not being respectful of this classroom setting. This classroom setting is casual but that doesn't mean that is taken advantage of and you do not do what I ask of you. You can talk all day, please give 65 minutes three days a week. it is frustrating to say the least and it can be offensive to me and your classmates.

Jeff's Post

Thank you Jeff!


I have thought a lot about what to blog about. Since I am going into more of a business related major, I figured knowing some things about how deaf people get jobs and aid would be helpful. It seems to be that there are very few options for deaf people. They face discrimination and finding jobs is nearly impossible in the hearing world. Seems that deaf people can only get jobs at say Gallaudet or some other deaf community related events. I did some research and one way deaf people get aid is through the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).
Is this aid discriminatory itself?
It requires deaf people to have been employed for a certain length of time and a certain level of hearing loss to qualify, but deaf people have a hard enough time getting a job let alone holding one.
My question then is,
How can we help deaf people get jobs?
What ways can we make deaf people “accepted” into the workforce?
How do deaf people afford to live with unlikely chances of jobs and aids being so precise as they are, also along with many other expenses?
I would like to see what people come up with, either through their research or just ideas they can think of
Looking for a Job
Searching for a job when you are deaf or hard of hearing is one of the most frustrating experiences many deaf people have. It is important to know your legal rights when looking for a job. It is also equally important to utilize any and all resources available, especially interpreters. Many deaf and hard of hearing people have shared their personal stories of discrimination encountered in the job search. Plus, for deaf people who wish to work only in the deaf community, there are specialized job sites.
What is Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)?
SSDI (also known as Social Security Disability) is a monthly check that goes to people with disabilities who have worked long enough to qualify for it. Disabled people who lose their jobs often turn to SSDI until they can find new employment.
Can Deaf People get SSDI?
A deaf person can get SSDI as long as the deafness meets the Social Security requirement that the medical condition last at least a year. In addition, the deaf person must meet two Social Security tests: the Recent Work test and the Duration of Work Test. The criteria for both tests vary depending on a person's age.
For example, for a late deafened person in their 30s, the Recent Work test is passed if the person became deaf in the quarter they turned 31 or later, and also if they had worked at least five years out of a 10-year period that ended with when the person became deaf. For someone who was born deaf, to pass the Duration of Work Test they only need to have worked 1.5 years.
In addition, the deaf person's deafness must be considered "severe." Deafness appears on a list of impairments that automatically qualifies a person as disabled. Social Security has a "Blue Book," Disability Evaluation Under Social Security, that has a section, 2.00 Special Senses and Speech - Adult. Sub-section 2.08 on Hearing Impairments states:
2.08 Hearing Impairments (hearing not restorable by a hearing aid) manifested by:
A. Average hearing threshold sensitivity for air conduction of 90 decibels or greater, and for bone conduction to corresponding maximal levels, in the better ear, determined by the simple average of hearing threshold levels at 500, 1000, and 2000hz. (see 2.00B1); or
B. Speech discrimination scores of 40% or less in the better ear.
How Long Can a Deaf Person Get SSDI?
Unlike unemployment benefits, SSDI does not have a time limit and continues as long as the person meets the disability criteria. The deaf person's eligibility may be reviewed periodically to see if the deaf person still qualifies as disabled. SSDI can also stop if a person earns too much (you can work while receiving SSDI, as long as it is below a limit).

Amanda's Post

Thank you Amanda!


This is a pretty lengthy article but I found it quite interesting. It talks about how ASL is the cause of illiteracy among deaf students. I want the questions for this article to be:


Why do you think ASL is to blame?
What do you think could be done to raise literacy rates, or what do you suppose the real cause of illiteracy is?


After the class has answered these questions I would post what the writer of this article think ASL is to blame.


ARTICLE
This has happened so many times I’ve lost count. A discussion ensues about poor English skills in the deaf community and someone blames ASL. Excessive use of ASL, this person will warn you, causes many a deaf person to lose his grasp of English. What’s going on here?
Normally, this would be a topic for the appropriate experts in linguistics to discuss. But I can no longer sit on my hands and watch other people make a scapegoat out of ASL. Therefore I would like to share with you my own deaf perspective on this controversial subject.
Granted, illiteracy in the deaf community is nothing new. It’s been a concern for many, many years. I am not surprised at all when people lament the failure of the education system to bring deaf children’s reading and writing levels up to par. Yes, we have failed many deaf children. Yes, we must continue striving for newer and better ways to educate them. But no, we do not need to point our fingers at ASL as the source of the problem.
First of all, let’s take a moment to remind ourselves about deaf history. Illiteracy, as previously mentioned, is a problem that’s been around for a long time. A very long time. Yet if we stop and think about it, ASL has not been around for a long time, at least not in classrooms all over the United States.
The fact is, for most of the 20th century, sign language was not used in the classroom. Oralism was prevalent, and sign language was forbidden. Spoken and written English were the primary means of communication. And, as it still is today, illiteracy was a huge problem. And since ASL was not used in the classroom for most of the century, we cannot blame it for the low reading levels all over the country.
On the contrary, after the philosophy of Total Communication was officially adopted in 1976, opportunities for the deaf skyrocketed. Deaf students have had significantly more access to information in the classroom since then and opportunities for advancement (both academically and professionally) have increased dramatically.
Common sense, really. You can’t learn anything if you don’t understand your teachers. And it is usually sign language that allows most deaf students to understand what’s going on. Look around you and you’ll see more deaf administrators, executives, lawyers, businessmen and entrepreneurs than ever before. Not to sugarcoat anything, mind you. Illiteracy is still a major concern. But if you look carefully at the pattern, ASL has helped more than it has hindered.
In addition to all of this, it is still hard to imagine ASL as the cause of illiteracy because its use in the classroom today is still not as widespread as we might think. For as much as we celebrate ASL, it is actually used by a relatively small number of teachers.
In the November 1997 issue of DeafNation, Trudy Suggs wrote a powerful and sobering article about the number of deaf staff working in deaf schools. The numbers were shockingly low. Only three schools reported that over 40 percent of their staff was deaf. Most responded with numbers between 12 and 35 percent. Many schools refused to respond to the survey at all. The scary thing is Suggs was being generous. She included all deaf staff in her numbers, including aides, maintenance crews, office assistants, dorm staff, coaches, and so on. Had the survey focused exclusively on teachers and administrators, the results would have been far more disconcerting.
No offense at all is intended to the many hearing teachers of deaf students, who are putting forth an incredible amount of effort and dedication into their jobs. But it’s apparent that the number of bona fide, Native ASL-signing staff in deaf schools is very low (during a lecture at the 1998 NAD conference, one educator stated that approximately 12 percent of teachers for the deaf are deaf themselves). Therefore, it makes no sense to blame ASL for whatever literacy problems still exist.
Nonetheless, ASL is still used as a scapegoat for illiteracy. From time to time I’ve seen ASL cited as a possible reason for a child’s lack of English skills. For example, a testimonial by Otto Menzel, Ph.D., was presented to the United States Senate Subcommittee on Public Health and Safety on February 12th, 1998. Truth be told, he gave a very powerful, accurate report on the state of deaf education. I agreed with him in most aspects until he went off on a tangent that appears to pin the blame on excessive use of ASL for today’s disappointing reading levels.
How does ASL wind up taking the blame, anyway?


WRITER RESPONSE
Let’s say a deaf child is born into a hearing family. Such is the nature of this child’s hearing loss is that ASL would be the most beneficial means of communication. Unfortunately, his hearing loss is not identified until he’s almost two years old. By then, a significant language delay is all but guaranteed (note: since the time this article was originally published in my book Anything But Silent,there have been great strides in testing for hearing loss at birth).If, at that stage the parents decide to learn ASL, they still have a formidable barrier to overcome. Not only has their child missed out on two years’ worth of language acquisition, but it takes a considerable time (and average of five to seven years, according to information from a Deaf Ed class) for the parents to become fluent in ASL. Considering that the optimal window for picking up language is the first five years of life, we have a real uphill battle in the making (research has indicated that if a child hasn’t had significant access to language by age five, this child will most likely struggle with language and literacy for the rest of his life).In most cases, however, hearing parents ultimately prefer or are strongly encouraged to choose the mainstream, oral/audist options. Not to criticize those options, as the kids who can thrive in such an environment certainly do. But as for the ones who can’t, they have lost even more valuable time to acquire language.Now suppose our hypothetical deaf child has had no language at home and has bounced around from one mainstream program to the other with no success. Eventually, he winds up in a residential school where ASL is encouraged. Suddenly, with exponentially increased access, he begins to absorb information. He picks up ASL from his peers and from his teachers. His communication and social skills become vastly improved.Unfortunately, he is still way behind as far as reading and writing skills are concerned. And then comes the erroneous correlation from professionals everywhere: This kid is using ASL, but he can’t read or write; therefore, it must have been the use of ASL that caused his poor reading and writing skills.And then, whenever a new, innovative teaching strategy involving ASL is proposed, many people in high places hem and haw and are quick to criticize it. The Bi-Bi philosophy, for example, has been scoffed at by many. It has only been around for a relatively short time and is already being blamed for problems that have existed for over a century. It seems to me, quite frankly, that many people are misinformed and perhaps even intimidated by ASL.Come on. Illiteracy is a serious problem that must be addressed everywhere, not just in the deaf community. If ASL is the cause of poor reading and writing skills, then what about the incredibly high number of hearing kids and adults who can’t read? It’s amazing how many people can speak English fluently yet still can’t read or write.On the other hand, I know many hearing people who are fluent in more than one language; their fluency in a second language does not cause their English to suffer. I feel a need to point this out because I have seen people implying that time spent communicating in ASL takes away from one’s ability to use English. Doesn’t happen. I cite myself, my wife, several relatives and friends as examples. We code-switch all the time and it doesn’t hurt. If anything, I believe it strengthens our minds.Okay, I’ve rambled enough. While it’s been great defending the merits of ASL, we still have a serious problem with illiteracy, and it’s a problem that needs to be addressed everywhere. Perhaps we can tackle this in a future article.In the meantime… ASL, the verdict is in: not guilty.