Recognition of ASL as a Language
Evolution
sign language may be lmillions of years older than voice language
Australopithecines: used gestures = more effective
slient = not alerting anyone to your location
provided info in spatial/visual manner
Democritus - Greek philosopher
development of language from gestures to speech
humans from trees to ground - could sign /gesture; evolved into spoken language
Language = Latin "tongue"
Stokoe
pg 102 = language starts in the brain; mouth is one way it can come out
Languages
Visual - Gestural
ASL
eyes, face, head, body, hands, arms
expressing with feelings
Spoken and Signed
written = posterity
spoken and written= increased sophistication
spoken - consonants & vowels; lips, tongue, voice
signs - holds and movement, position, orientation
Evolution of sign language
Martha's vineyard = prior to 1819
some 2-hand, now 1-hand
some 1-hand, now 2-hand
more fluid, some parts dropped
During 1800's, 60% sings originated from French (Clerc); 40% were native, MV, or home signs
Mandating schooling
partly to establish Eng as majority language
native, immigrant, slaves = wanted to homogenize
led to decrease in cultural traditions, languages of immigrants, natives suppressed
AGB = sign language is a foreign language and should not be taught in public schools
Author experience
taught to pronounce and speak their name first, then print, then name sign, then fingerspell; grammar of English taught first
Now: bilingual approach, ASL & English, name sign first, then fingerspell before written or pronounce
1st to proclaim ASL has own grammar, structure, vocabulary
1960's - signs have phonology, morphology, syntax
1955 - chair at Gallaudet English dept; filmed deaf people signing and analyzed for patterns/
click to edit
Sign Languag Structure - 1960 book, complete and complex language, visual mode
1965 Dictionary of ASL; structure, 19 handshapes, 12 locations, 24 movements
reviled by deaf community, not deaf and inventing new terms
1970's, deaf culture awareness increased, more accepted ASL as a language, not just extension of English
Father of ASL linguistics
after his work, the Salk institute suggested additional features
ASL
At the heart of every community there is a language, p111
1980 - Green Books = 1st student text books
visual, dody movements, listen with eyes
gestural - units, movement, shapes, hand eyes arms face, etc
ASL is NOT
aural/oral
universal
written
iconic/picture like
have the same structure as ENglish
translatable word for word
First independent parts of sign: handshapes, location, movement; next: palm orientation; then non manual markers/facial behaviors
Grammar & structure
verbs vs nouns = dif characteristics
morphemes, combine to enlarge words, concepts
ASL compounds = 2 sep signs combine to make one (home = sleep & eat
Syntax: written = punctuation; speech = inflection; ASL = facial and body behavior
1980's: Syntax = Liddell = 7 sentence types; highly dependent on NMM/facial/signals as to what type