LINGUIS 100 1st Edition Lecture 14 Signed Languages ASL American Sign Language Difference between a language that is spoken and one that is signed One used the ears for processing and the other uses the eyes for processing How to analyze signs so that we can compare signs across sign languages Where sounds a produced in the mouth we must also talk about where signs are made and the variety of sign languages a how to sign languages vary from place to place i different type and different purposes ii more than 115 deaf sign languages used today b Different signs are used in different communities c Sign languages are natural languages that form to bring together the people of a community i Differ from one part of the world to the next ii Example in British sign language you will have completely different signs for basic word like mother and father than you would in ASL 1 You can also have different signs in different regions of a country It does not have to just be differing from nation to nation but can actually be different in places like Bristol versus London Two cities within Britain iii How to analyze sign languages 1 Where is it comfortable to move your hands 2 Where speakers are able to do signs above the waist and below the top of the head 3 What parts of the body are you using in sign languages a The hands b elbows iv What are the meaningful parts of signs 1 Minimal differences signs that are only minimally different but trigger a completely different meaning and word a Example the word for hospital and park is in the same place and same motion but the shape of the signer s hand is just a bit different b the word for computer and church the placement and shape of signer s hand is same but the movement is different c Also notice the expression on signer s face change with different meanings 2 Place of Articulation in Signing a movement you cannot have a static sign b the handshape c Place of articulation signs occur above the waist i But if you are shouting in a sign language you are going to make the signs bigger but if you are whispering you might decrease your sign space ii looking at the location it is relative to the conversation but typically signs occur in the same place at a normal volume of speaking 3 Hands and Switching a It is hard to tell if a person who signs is left or right handed b Handshake is important in the signers behavior i closed and then open fist or the opposite way ii handshakes will vary across languages c Orientation which direction is the palm of the hand facing i in out up down or is it moving d Finger selection is important again i It is difficult to move certain fingers more than others your ring fingers are harder to move around each other than other fingers 4 Negation a Around the Mediterranean is it common to tilt the head back to indicate negation b The elbow can also play role in negating phrases and verbs and actions 5 Variance across languages in sign a Selected Fingers b How the face and head plays a role c What kind of restriction on a sign changes the meaning d Handshape adjacency If you have one sign and then go into a new sign are you able to combine these or not d Videos to see how things vary Dr Pattillo does not sign so she will often be using videos and other aids to help her demonstrate concepts in Sign i Gender Variation in Irish Sign Language 1 Colors a One example in Feminine Orange makes a circle on your right cheek with your right hand that is formed in a circle b One example in Masculine These were the same c Example two in Feminine The word white was a quick flash of three fingers with the right hand d Example in Masculine The word is made with your right hand gliding over your collar bone