American Sign Language

American Sign Language (ASL, also Amslan obs., Ameslan obs.) is the dominant sign language in the United States, English-speaking Canada and parts of Mexico. It is also used in the Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Chad, Gabon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Mauritania, Kenya, Madagascar, and Zimbabwe. As with other sign languages, its grammar and syntax are distinct from the spoken language(s) in its area of influence. There has been no reliable survey of the number of people who use ASL as their primary language; estimates range from 200,000 to 2 million http://library.gallaudet.edu/dr/faq-asl-rank.html.

Linguistics of ASL

ASL is a natural language as proved to the satisfaction of the linguistic community by William Stokoe. It is a manual language meaning that the information is expressed not with combinations of sounds but with combinations of handshapes, movements of the hands, arms and body, and facial expressions. It is used natively and predominantly by the Deaf and hard-of-hearing of the United States and Canada.

Related Topics:
Natural language - William Stokoe - Deaf - Hard-of-hearing

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Iconicity

Although it often seems as though the signs are meaningful of themselves, in fact they can be as arbitrary as words in spoken language. For example, hearing children often make the mistake of using "you" to refer to themselves, since others refer to them as "you." Children who acquire the sign YOU (pointing at one's interlocutor) make similar mistakes – they will point at others to mean themselves, indicating that even something as seemingly explicit as pointing is an arbitrary sign in ASL, like words in a spoken language.

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However, Edward Klima and Ursula Bellugi have modified the common theory that signs can be self-explanatory by grouping signs into three categories:

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• Transparent: Non-signers can usually correctly guess the meaning
• Translucent: Meaning makes sense to non-signers once it is explained
• Opaque: Meaning cannot be guessed by non-signers

Klima and Bellugi used American Sign Language in formulating that classification. The theory that signs are self-explanatory can be conclusively disproved by the fact that non-signers cannot understand fluent, continuous sign language. The majority of signs are opaque.

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Generally, signs that are "Transparent" are signs of objects or words that became popular after the basics of ASL were established. There are, of course, exceptions to this.

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Grammar

The grammar of ASL uses spatial locations, motion, and context to indicate syntax. For example:

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• If a signer signs a noun and then points to a certain spot, he or she can refer back to that noun by pointing again to the same spot. This is also known as 'setting up' something. For instance, you can point to a spot over your right shoulder talking about your Grandmother in Albany, NY. When you talk about her again, instead of signing 'grandmother' you can just point back to the same spot, over your shoulder.
• To intensify the meaning a verb or adjective (e.g., to say "very calm" instead of "calm"), the signer modulates the way it is expressed, first holding his or her hands rigid and then making the rest of the sign more quickly than usual. Another way to accomplish the same thing would be to slow down the given sign, emphasizing its importance or degree.
• Raised eyebrows can indicate a yes-or-no question, while lowered eyebrows indicate a "wh-question" or one that requests more information such as those that would use the question words: who, what, when, where, or why.
• Like some spoken languages, ASL does not use the linking verb "to be". If one is signing "We are going to the store tomorrow", some possible ASL sentences, litterally translated, would be;
• We go tomorrow store.
• Tomorrow store, we go.
• Store, we go tomorrow.
• Particular ASL signers might not use the word "because", and instead may break down the sentence into a question and then response. For instance, "I love to eat pasta because I am Italian" would be translated into "I love eat pasta, why? I am Italian." Over time the word "because" has been signed more often, but both modes can be used.
• Signs can be carried from place to place for contextual reasons. The sign for "pain" - two pointed index fingers aimed at each other moved towards then away from each other, can be signed over one's leg to show that there is pain in the leg.
• Facial expression is also key in ASL. If one is to sign "angry", a facial expression on anger should be put on. Without expressions like this, the effect would be similar to listening to someone who was speaking in extremely monotone spoken English.