Dr. Bill Vicars Lifeprint. com. ASL Linguistics: The Function of Space

Dr. Bill Vicars

Lifeprint.com

ASL Linguistics:

The Function of Space

If there is no identifiable reason (other than, “That is how Deaf people do it”) that we sign FOR at “head level” FEEL on the chest, or NOW at waist level we can say that the “location

or space” is what?

Phonological /

Articulatory

If space is just a non-meaningful

part of building a sign it is

considered what?

Phonological /

Articulatory

If you change space and it builds a new sign (a new meaning) then use of space is what?

Morphological

New topic…

If you use space to construct

sentences (ex: establish subject

and object) it is…

Syntactical (and also still

morphological)

Consider: SUMMER

UGLYDRY

In those signs, space or

location simply provide what?

Phonological Contrast

Which means that space is what makes

those signs look different.

If we use space to indicate a person by pointing to where he

is or was we are using space for…

Referential Functions

If we use space to indicate where

something is in a 3D framework we can say its function is…

Locative

The face that CL:3 “CAR” has a front

and back or that we sign things from our point of view is using space to indicate…

a “Frame of Reference”

Relative vs Absolute (p147 5th Ed)

We can also use space for “role

shifting” “eye gaze” or body/head

position changes to indicate…

Narrative Perspective.

What is “Phonological

Contrast” good for?

Phonological Contrast makes

signs look different. (But the specific contrast itself is meaningless.)

Name 4 types of Phonological

Contrast:

handshapelocation

orientationmovement

[We call these things what?]

In general we call them parameters of signs. Or parts

of signs.

If a particular handshape, location,

orientation, or movement has no

independent meaning we could call it what?

You could “still” call it a parameter or part of

a sign. More specifically though it can be considered a

phoneme.

If a particular handshape, location,

orientation, or movement HAS

independent meaning we could call it what?

You could “still” call it a parameter or part of

a sign. More specifically though it can be considered a

morpheme.

Generally in any two different signs

at least one parameter must be

different.

What if two people sign something

and no parameters are different?

They are doing the same sign.

We know that handshape, location,

orientation, and movement provide 4 types of Phonological Contrast. What can

provide morphological contrast?

Actually, handshape, location, orientation, and movement can provide EITHER (meaningless)

phonological contrast OR (meaningful)

morphological contrast!

If the contrast is meaningless we CALL it

phonological. If the contrast carries meaning we CALL it morphological

contrast.

Puzzle for you: Two people each did a sign.

The sign done by each person had the exact same

parameters (including facial expression) as the sign done by

the other person – yet each person’s sign meant something different. How is this possible?

Give me an example.

Dr. Bill Vicars

Lifeprint.com