Dr. Bill Vicars
Lifeprint.com
ASL Linguistics:
Verbs
EAT
ENJOY
FORGET
HAVE
LIKE
LOVE
PUNISH
UPSET
Static location =
location doesn’t change
articulatory means
having to do with producing
the sign
articulation is void of
meaning
articulation is form and
process but not meaning
If a sign’s location is articulatory
…
… then location doesn’t
influence meaning
An articulatory location is
just a phoneme.
We call such verbs:
“plain”
New topic…
GIVE
INFORM
TELL
PICK-ON
SEND
PAY
you-GIVE-me
you-INFORM-
me
TELL-me
you-PICK-ON-me
you-SEND-me
you-PAY-me
These verbs are called…
Indicating verbs
Example: “I hate him.”
doesn’t need “I” or
“him.”
The direction and
orientation of the verb
indicate…
… who is the subject and who/what is the object.
1st location equals subject
2nd location equals the
object
Exception:
HIRE and INVITE
HIRE: 1st location is
object.
#SAY-NO-TO can be used to
express the English sentence I SAY NO TO
HIM.
New topic…
look-at-each-other
understand-each-other
Reciprocating action
reciprocal verbs
New topic…
Consider the sign
“THROW”
Example: “JOHN
THROW ^ ROCK”
THROW = “locative”
verb
Locative: HURT
#HURT
Locative: PUT
New topic…
Depicting verbs:
Example: use-
SCALPEL
Depicting verbs:
handshape has meaning
Former term: CLASSIFIER PREDICATE
Emerging term:
Depicting verb
VEHICLE-DRIVE-BY
PERSON-WALK
FLAT-SURFACE
VEHICLE-DRIVE-
UP¬HILL
Depicting verbs blend objects into
communication …
Example: telling
about a “rocket”
3 types of depicting verbs…
1. Show where
something is.
Example: VEHICLE-
be-at
2. Show what
something looks like.
FLAT-SURFACE-EXTEND-UPWARD
(sizes and shapes)
3. Movement or Action
Example: VEHICLE-DRIVE-TO
VEHICLE-WIND-
DRIVE-TO
---
If used often enough, depicting
verbs become…
lexicalized into regular signs. For example…
KEY
DRINK
PACK
FUNERAL
---
Metaphorical depiction:
FALL-IN-LOVE
TRUST
Dr. Bill Vicars
Lifeprint.com