American Sign Language
and ASL Linguistics
LING 200
University of Washington
February 6, 2009
Lance Forshay, Presenter
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Agenda
 Nature of ASL and relevant questions.
 American Deaf Culture
 Brief History of Sign Languages
 ASL and Deaf Studies at UW.
 ASL phonetics and phonology
Presenter
 Lance A. Forshay, M.S. LForshay@u.washington.edu
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ASL Lecturer and Program Coordinator
Department of Linguistics
University of Washington, Seattle.
President of Washington ASL Teacher Association.
(National) ASL Teacher Association member.
Washington State Association of the Deaf Board
Member at Large: Watchdog and Advocacy.
Fourth of five Deaf generations.
The Nature of ASL
Is ASL…
A Visual-Gestural Language?
Yes.
ASL contains 60% Gestural-Body
Language and Facial Expressions.
However ASL is different from common
gestures hearing people use.
The Nature of ASL
Is ASL…
A fully developed language?
Yes.
ASL contains all linguistic
characteristics that make ASL a
language different and independent
from English language.
The Nature of ASL
Is ASL…
A language you can use to
communicate complicated topics
with philosophical ideas, politics,
sports, education, science, comedy,
or express in drama, storytelling,
poetry or anything else like you do
with English?
Yes!… with no limitations.
The Nature of ASL
Is ASL…
A changing language?
Yes.
Like all languages, ASL does change
over time and varies within regions
(accents). Some old ASL signs
disappear, simplify or assimilate with
other word signs into new signs.
(Compound and Contractions)
The Nature of ASL
Is ASL…
Universal?
No.
Almost every country has its own sign
language just like spoken language.
There are at least 70 known sign
languages.
The Nature of ASL
Is ASL…
Used in other countries?
Yes, some.
ASL is used by Deaf people in Canada
and few other countries with historical
background of deaf education
established by American educators and
church missionaries for the deaf such
as Nigera, Kenya, Philippines, Belize
and some parts of India.
The Nature of ASL
Is ASL…
Used in British countries?
No.
ASL is totally different from British Sign
Language used in the United Kingdom
(Scotland, England, and Wales),
Australia, and New Zealand.
American Deaf Culture
 What is Deaf Culture?
A group of Deaf people who uses American Sign
Language, lives by a set of norms and values of
the Deaf community, shares the Deaf heritage and
traditions, and involves as a member of Deaf
community.
ASL is the key to the heart of Deaf culture and you
have to understand Deaf culture to master ASL at
higher level.
 “D”eaf versus deaf.
 Matter of identity and belonging to Deaf
community.
 Not necessarily hereditary.
Brief Timeline History of ASL
 Natural bodily and facial gestures and
common gestural signs are on earth since
the beginning of mankind.
 Indian Sign Language, cross-tribal
communications for trading purposes.
Brief Timeline History of ASL
 399 (?) B.C. Socrates
quoted by Plato in
“Cratylus” mentions the
deaf who express
themselves in gestures
movement, depicting
that which is light or a
higher sphere by raising
the hands or describing
a galloping horse by
imitating its motion.
Brief Timeline History of ASL
 In 1755, Abbe Charles Michel de L’Eppe of
Paris founded the first free school for the
deaf with sign language as a method of
communication. This model of deaf
school concept spread all over the
European countries for the next hundred
years.
 In 1778, Samuel Heinicke of Leipzig
Germany, promoted Oralism, a
method of teaching deaf children
spoken and written language
through speech and lip-reading
exclusively without use of sign
language.
Brief Timeline History of ASL
 Thomas Gallaudet saw the need of education
for deaf children. He went to Europe and
brought Laurent Clerc, a deaf
teacher from deaf school in
Paris, to America to start a
deaf school together in 1817.
Brief Timeline History of ASL
Laurent Clerc learned the old ASL used by deaf
people in America and combined it with
LSF (French Sign Language).
Eventually, he standardized
the sign system at the school
into modern ASL as we know
it today.
Brief Timeline History of ASL
 Alexander Graham Bell and the spread of
Oralism took a strong grip on deaf
education in America and all over
the world in 1880’s.
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1880,the World Congress of the
Educators of the Deaf met in Milan,
Italy and passed a resolution to
promote Oralism in deaf education
all over the world and dismiss all deaf
teachers out of deaf schools.
Brief Timeline History of ASL
 The same year, National Association for the
Deaf was founded and they fought long
and hard for the rights to
use sign language in deaf
community and education.
www.nad.org
 1900’s - 1960’s Oralism method proved
failure in deaf education. Average deaf high
school graduates ranks third grade in English.
Brief Timeline History of ASL
 1960’s William Stokoe, a non-conventional
linguist, who taught English at
Gallaudet, recognized
linguistic characters in ASL
and started to have a deep
interest to do research on
sign. He eventually proved
that ASL is a language. He
published his finding.
 1970’s, Sign Language Studies, Classes,
Training, and Book materials began to
emerge. Deaf culture recognized and defined
with ASL.
Brief Timeline History of ASL
 1975, Sign Instructors Guidance Network.
Today it is called ASL Teacher Association.
 1970’s Sign language slowly returns to deaf
education but in Englishized forms.
 1988. Deaf President Now.
 1990 ASL accepted as a foreign language
credit and course offered in many college and
high school at explosive growth.
 1990’s Many states legalize ASL as a foreign
language course for HS and college.
ASL in Washington state
Washington State Law passed in July 1984 to
recognize ASL as a language and that it may
be used for foreign language credit in
secondary and post-secondary level
education. (WAC 180-51-025 for secondary
and postsecondary.) For more information on
other state legislations on ASL.
http://www.aslta.org/legislation/index.html
ASL & Deaf Studies Program at UW
 Regularly offered since Aut 2007
 First year with one teacher. Two sections for each
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class, ASL 101, 102 and 103.
Nearly 300 students on waiting list for ASL 101
classes Fall 2008.
Permanent funds from the state and private
foundations.
ASL 305 Introduction to Deaf Studies.
ASL 134 Intensive first year summer ASL course.
Signing community with Deaf staff, students and
other ASL students.
Future…
Phonetic parameters of ASL signs
 Manual ways in which signs can differ
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Handshape
Orientation
Location
Movement
Number of hands
 Non-manual ways in which signs can differ
Handshape
 Minimal pairs
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LIKE vs. WHITE
DORM vs. DEAF
PEOPLE vs. BICYCLE
NUMBER vs. INTERPRET
 Signs which change handshape
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UNDERSTAND
HOW MANY
DIVORCED
Orientation
 Minimal pairs
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MEET vs. I MEET YOU
NAME vs. CHAIR
SOCK vs. STAR
YOUR vs. MY vs. CHILD
 Signs which change orientation
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DIE/DEAD
COMMUNITY
CLASS
Location
 Minimal pairs
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APPLE vs. ONION
LUCKY vs. CLEVER
SAME vs. NEW YORK CITY
THIRTEEN vs. CUTE
 Signs which change location
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DEAF
FUN
KING
Movement
 Minimal pairs
 TOUGH vs. PHYSICS
 CAN vs. SHOES
 BROWN vs. BEER
 TURN AROUND vs. SINGLE
 Different types of movement
 straight: SEPARATED
 angled: PERCENT
 looping: WASHINGTON
 wiggling: COLOR
 twisting: WHERE
 nodding: YES
Number of hands
 One-handed signs
 MOTHER
 DEER
 COOL
 Two-handed signs
 HERE
 BICYCLE
 Minimal pairs
 PURPLE vs. PARTY
 BOY vs. TEACH
Non-manual expressions
 Signs articulated with non-manual
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OH I SEE
PROSTITUTE
 Minimal pairs
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HERE vs. WHAT
OLD vs. HOW-OLD
HOT vs. VERY HOT
Assimilation
 In handshape
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I
NAME
I AM NAMED
I
KNOW
I KNOW
Symmetry condition
 ‘if both hands move independently during a
given two-handed sign...then the
specifications for handshape and movement
must be identical, and the orientations must
be either identical or polar opposites
(reciprocals). Locations...must also be
specifed either as symmetrical or as polar
opposites.’ (Battison 1974)
If handshapes identical
 One hand can move
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PAPER
 Or both hands can move
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DIE/DEAD
But if handshapes not identical
 Only one hand can move
DRAW
 no signs where both hands move
 phonological restriction
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Questions