Dr. Bill Vicars

Lifeprint.com

Linguistics of American

Sign Language

Lexical Categories

(5th Edition Pages 100 – 111)

x

Lexical = "words or

vocabulary"

Lexical Unit =

"a word" (or a sign)

Lexical Categories

=

Nouns Verbs Adjectives

Adverbs etc.

Can divide signs into two types:

“Content Signs” & “Function

Signs”

“Content Signs”

Examples:

nouns verbs

adjectives adverbs

Function signs

include:

pronouns prepositions conjunctions

What are some “Content Signs" lexical

categories?

noun verb adjective adverb

What are some

Function Signs lexical categories?

pronouns prepositions

and conjunctions

If a lexical category tends to accept new

signs it is "open."

If a lexical category

doesn’t accept new signs it is

"closed."

Example: Sometimes

we need new nouns…

MICROWAVE I-PHONE

E-Mail

We don't seem to

need new pronouns:

"it"

Existing pronouns

can refer to new nouns.

So we don't need

new pronouns.

So, the lexical category of "pronoun" is closed.

Topic: “Nouns”

Name sign:

“Dr. Bill”

Name sign: Katie

= noun

CHICAGO = noun

#SEARS = noun

#DENNY'S = noun

COMPUTER TABLE

THEORY = noun

Nouns include:

individuals …

places…

concrete things…

abstract things

Nouns tend to be countable.

How do you make a

noun plural in English?

Generally you add an "s"

How do you make a

noun plural in ASL?

reduplication

brothers = BROTHER++

sisters = SISTER++

words = WORD+

+

plants = PLANT++

"Verbs"

Verbs =

actions …

events …

processes …

states of being …

RUN

WALK

ENJOY

LIKE

HELP

INFORM

Topic:"Adjectives"

Adjectives describe nouns

Adjective examples:

opinions

sizes

age

color

Adjectives tend to appear before nouns

Adj after noun =

"adjectival predicate"

Example: MOVIE, FUNNY

adj FUNNY (after

movie) acts as a verb

Ex: The movie is funny!

Adjectives can be

modified…

TALL MAN vs

…

VERY-TALL MAN

Topic:"Adverbs"

Adverbs are used

to…

express manner

indicate temporal frequency

modify adjectives

modify other

adverbs

English tends to use "-ly"

ASL modifies via

"articulation"

Articulation means…

"How a sign is

produced"

Example: SIT vs…

SIT-FOR-LONG-TIME

Adverbs also

indicate "when" …

YESTERDAY

TWO-WEEKS-

AGO

NEXT-TWO-DAYS

STILL

Example: TOMORROW PRO-1 WORK

CLOSED LEXICAL

CATEGORIES…

Pronouns Modal_verbs Prepositions

& Conjunctions

What does a pronoun

do?

Represents an already identified…

PERSON

PLACE

THING

English: he, she, it, them, us

How are ASL pronouns

different from English

pronouns?

ASL only has two

categories of pronouns:

1. Pronouns that point at oneself

2. Pronouns that point away from

self

PRO-1 =

I / me

PRO = you, he, she, it, they

English has 3 categories of

pronouns:

1st person: I

/ me

2nd person:

you

3rd person: he/she

Another difference: subject and

object pronouns

English: I / me

we / us he / him

ASL: initial location / final

location (direction)

ASL has "numeral

morphemes"…

ASL pronouns

can identify a specific number

PRO-MULTI-THREE (first

person)

PRO-MULTI-THREE (non-first person)

Examples:

PRO-1 = I/ME

PRO-DUAL-1 = "WE-2"

"you 2"

"you 3"

"those three"

PRO-PL-1 = "we"

PRO-PL = "they"

Topic:"Modal Verbs"

Modal verbs express:

necessity or possibility

Usually modal verbs come before other verbs

Sometimes modal verbs come after a

verb

verb > modal verb =

"emphasis"

Examples:

WILL

CAN

MUST

SHOULD

Topic: Modal Verb

"emphasis"

What is the difference

between these concepts in

ASL?...

should need-to

must

Playful intensity: MUST!-[4-fingers]

Topic: "prepositions"

Prepositions show

relationships of nouns

English: under, on, in, above,

with, do, etc.

ASL: "depiction"

depiction used to be

called "classifiers"

depiction = showing

how

Predicate = "says

something about"

"Predicate" =

"comment"

ASL prepositions

tend to incorporate…

more information, for

example…

INSIDE-(near_chest)+

= "inner feelings"

Example…

OLD FEELING

STILL INSIDE-MY-

CHEST

Topic: Conjunctions

Conjunctions join words or phrases

ASL conjunctions:

…

BUT

UNDERSTAND

#OR

PLUS

Examples…

PRO BRING #TV, SHELF

PLUS S-O-F-A

PRO CAN GO STORE

UNDERSTAND HELP MOTHER

FIRST

Dr. Bill Vicars

Lifeprint.com