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Dr. Bill Vicars
Lifeprint.com
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Linguistics of American
Sign Language
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Lexical Categories
(5th Edition Pages 100 – 111)
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Lexical = "words or
vocabulary"
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Lexical Unit =
"a word" (or a sign)
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Lexical Categories
=
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Nouns Verbs Adjectives
Adverbs etc.
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Can divide signs into two types:
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“Content Signs” & “Function
Signs”
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“Content Signs”
Examples:
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nouns verbs
adjectives adverbs
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Function signs
include:
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pronouns prepositions conjunctions
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What are some “Content Signs" lexical
categories?
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noun verb adjective adverb
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What are some
Function Signs lexical categories?
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pronouns prepositions
and conjunctions
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If a lexical category tends to accept new
signs it is "open."
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If a lexical category
doesn’t accept new signs it is
"closed."
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Example: Sometimes
we need new nouns…
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MICROWAVE I-PHONE
E-Mail
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We don't seem to
need new pronouns:
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Existing pronouns
can refer to new nouns.
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So we don't need
new pronouns.
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So, the lexical category of "pronoun" is closed.
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Name sign:
“Dr. Bill”
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COMPUTER TABLE
THEORY = noun
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Nouns include:
individuals …
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Nouns tend to be countable.
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How do you make a
noun plural in English?
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Generally you add an "s"
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How do you make a
noun plural in ASL?
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brothers = BROTHER++
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sisters = SISTER++
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states of being …
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Topic:"Adjectives"
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Adjectives describe nouns
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Adjective examples:
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Adjectives tend to appear before nouns
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Adj after noun =
"adjectival predicate"
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Example: MOVIE, FUNNY
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adj FUNNY (after
movie) acts as a verb
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Ex: The movie is funny!
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Adjectives can be
modified…
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Adverbs are used
to…
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indicate temporal frequency
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modify adjectives
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modify other
adverbs
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English tends to use "-ly"
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ASL modifies via
"articulation"
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Articulation means…
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"How a sign is
produced"
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SIT-FOR-LONG-TIME
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Adverbs also
indicate "when" …
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Example: TOMORROW PRO-1 WORK
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CLOSED LEXICAL
CATEGORIES…
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Pronouns Modal_verbs Prepositions
& Conjunctions
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What does a pronoun
do?
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Represents an already identified…
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English: he, she, it, them, us
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How are ASL pronouns
different from English
pronouns?
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ASL only has two
categories of pronouns:
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1. Pronouns that point at oneself
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2. Pronouns that point away from
self
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PRO = you, he, she, it, they
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English has 3 categories of
pronouns:
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1st person: I
/ me
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3rd person: he/she
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Another difference: subject and
object pronouns
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English: I / me
we / us he / him
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ASL: initial location / final
location (direction)
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ASL has "numeral
morphemes"…
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ASL pronouns
can identify a specific number
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PRO-MULTI-THREE (first
person)
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PRO-MULTI-THREE (non-first person)
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PRO-DUAL-1 = "WE-2"
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Topic:"Modal Verbs"
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Modal verbs express:
necessity or possibility
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Usually modal verbs come before other verbs
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Sometimes modal verbs come after a
verb
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verb > modal verb =
"emphasis"
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Topic: Modal Verb
"emphasis"
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What is the difference
between these concepts in
ASL?...
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should need-to
must
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Playful intensity: MUST!-[4-fingers]
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Topic: "prepositions"
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Prepositions show
relationships of nouns
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English: under, on, in, above,
with, do, etc.
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ASL: "depiction"
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depiction used to be
called "classifiers"
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depiction = showing
how
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Predicate = "says
something about"
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"Predicate" =
"comment"
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ASL prepositions
tend to incorporate…
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more information, for
example…
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INSIDE-(near_chest)+
= "inner feelings"
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OLD FEELING
STILL INSIDE-MY-
CHEST
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Topic: Conjunctions
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Conjunctions join words or phrases
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ASL conjunctions:
…
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PRO BRING #TV, SHELF
PLUS S-O-F-A
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PRO CAN GO STORE
UNDERSTAND HELP MOTHER
FIRST
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Dr. Bill Vicars
Lifeprint.com