Discussion 1 ( Week 6)

jus a general knowledge fact to know: American Sign Language is the third most widely used language in the United States.

this being said ASL is a complex system of its own and it is distinct from English itself as it has its own grammar systems etc.

While we would raise our voice or pitch when asking a question, deaf people would raise their eyebrows. therefore they have much richer facial expressions which is to their advantage.

deaf people who learn ASL are just as capable as able bodied 'normal' us.

Example of Independent Sign Language is actually American Sign Language.
ASL, being a linguistically complete language, is the predominant form of sign used among American Deaf. it is a form of manual communication in which hands, limbs, head, facial expression and body language are used to communicate a visual-spatial language without sound.

hand configuration, formation of shapes by the hand, place of articulation: where in space the hand is formed and movement: how the moves are three basic components of ISL.

is a type of sign language that does not depend on ordinary language. Unlike Speech-based Sign Language, ISL does not represent spoken words (spelling, order of words & morphemes); instead it has developed their own words and grammatical systems.

I will be highlighting the characteristic of ISL in terms of its word structure (morphology). ISL is influenced by 3 main components that is able to change the meaning or morphological structure of words:
1. hand configuration = the shape that the hand forms
2. place of articulation = where in space the hand is formed
3. movement = how the hand moves

Therefore, the derivations of a word (from noun to adjective, from noun to verbs, present tense to past tense, etc.) can be changed by changing any of those components mentioned above.


FOR EXAMPLE:

To change the verb 'teach' to the noun 'teacher, an addition form (handshape) is added to the end of the original sign for 'teach'.

To change the verb 'teach' to 'teaching', the sign for 'teach' is repeated and so the movement happens twice.

So,
in the case of 'teacher', a handshape is added.
in the case of 'teaching', a movement is added.

The sign of an Independent Sign Language (ISL) can be analyzed into three basic components:

(1) hand configuration: the shape that the hand forms;

(2) place of articulation: where in space the hand is formed;

(3) movement: how the hand moves.

American Sign Language(ASL) is one of the examples of ISL.

American Sign Language (ASL) is a sign language, a language in which the hands, arms, head, facial expression and body language are used to speak without sound. ASL is not related to English, and features an entirely different grammar and vocabulary.

There are 3 basic components for ISL which are handshape, hand's movement and where in space the hand is formed. For example American Sign Language (ASL). In terms of word structure, word order in ASL is relatively free, wit an unmarked Subject-Verb-Object order. Other than that, ASL cannot be used simultaneously with speech. It also has a separate and distinct grammar and syntax from English.