Unit 4 Notes
“HAVE DEAF”?:
The term “HAVE DEAF” is a common way to ask whether or not there are Deaf people in your family. FAMILY
HAVE DEAF
Gender distinction:
ASL distinguishes gender aspects of signs by locating a
sign in either the masculine or feminine areas of the face.
Deaf Parents:
Approximately 10% of Deaf people have Deaf children, which means 90% of Deaf parents have hearing
children. A hearing child of Deaf adults is known by the fingerpelled word “coda”. Often a coda’s first
language is ASL.
Shoulder Shifting:
Shoulder-shifting is a feature unique to American Sign Language. Shoulder shifting is a way to distinguish
several pieces of information in a signed sentence by slightly moving your head and shoulders in a different
direction for each detail.

“AND” and “OR”: In Unit 3, we learned to use shoulder shifting for indicating “AND”. It can also be
used for “OR”, when adding “WHICH” at the end of a “WH” question.

Referencing: In Unit 1, we talked about pointing (using “deixis”, “setting up in space”, “referencing”)
to talk about a person or thing that is not present.
If there is more than one person/thing, you incorporate the shoulder shift and point to more than one
place. The referent is established by naming what you are referring to and then designating (point to)
a location. You can then point back to the places and not necessarily repeat what you are referring to.
When you reference a person/thing to the left, and shift to the left. If referencing to the right, shift to
the right.

Contrastive Structure: Another use for shoulder shifting is to contrast topics/pieces of information in
the same sentence. This will NOT include the deixis. The signer will simply shoulder shift with each
concept or idea. When shifted a specific direction, the signer can give information about that topic,
shift to the new topic to give information about that one. For example, I could tell you about 3 new
gifts I received. I could shift to the left, tell you what the gift is and tell you about it. I could then shift
to the center, tell and explain the next gift. Finally, I could shift to the right, tell and explain the third
gift. Each shoulder shift clearly indicates a separate topic.

Listing: Shoulder shifting can also be incorporated to clearly show a list of things. I could show two or
three things by shoulder shifting left to right. Or, if there were more than three items, I could shoulder
shift back and forth. (left, right, left, right, left…)
Compound Signs:
Compound signs in ASL are two separate signs combined to make an additional meaning. Combining
MOTHER+FATHER creates “PARENTS”, and SUN + SHINE means to be “SUNNY”. When using compound signs,
do so quickly and smoothly, as one motion.
Deaf Family Dynamics:
As we learned in a previous unit, Deaf people ask hearing people why they are learning ASL. Historically, few
hearing people learned ASL aside from codas and those who worked closely with Deaf people, such as the
clergy. Unfortunately very few others learned how to sign, including hearing family members and relatives.
Most Deaf people are from hearing families who don’t know ASL but rely on a few signs and improvised
gestures called home signs. Even today many Deaf children have parents who don’t sign, or live in a family
where a mother and sibling – usually a sister can sign.
The Age-Spot:
When telling age, the sign “AGE” is used, or you can place a number sign at the Age Spot and then move the
handshape away from the chin in one movement. Moving the number away from the Age Spot conveys the
meaning years old, so you do not need to add separate signs for year and old after the number.
Listing and Ordering:
Making a visual list of information, such as names or ages, is called the Listing and Ordering Technique. This
technique is used most often when providing several details about one or more person or thing. The nondominant hand forms a list with each new bit of information signed by the dominant hand.
The Deaf Experience and the Arts:
In the text Master ASL, look at pages 140 and 141 to learn about “The Deaf Experience and the Arts”. Several
different Deaf artists are featured.
Languages Change over time:
All languages, including signed languages, change over time. You can see an example of this by comparing the
two signs for telephone in Kris’ family portrait. (DVD)
Many two handed signs now tend to be signed with one hand. Some signs have changed for technological
advances…such as Kris’ example of telephone. Some signs that had two different handshapes change to have
only one of the handshapes used…such as “HOME”.
Friendship Patterns in the Deaf Community:
Having many life-long friendships is a common experience for people who belong to small, tight-knit
communities. Long-lasting friendships between Deaf people often begin at schools for the Deaf and continue
through college, marriage, and old age. Email, videophones, and class reunions are just a few ways Deaf
individuals stay in contact with each other. Newcomers to an area are quickly welcomed and form close
friendships as well, especially if the individual actively participates in Deaf community events. Historically, the
deep bonds were formed by the shared experience of being deaf in a predominantly hearing world. Hearing
people are welcome in the Deaf community as long as the language and culture of the Deaf are respected, and
hearing individuals who sign fluently can easily form friendships with Deaf individuals.
“SINCE” and “FOR”:
The sign “SINCE” also means “for when signing about a period of time. “I’ve known him for five years” uses
“SINCE”, you would not use the sign “FOR”.
Pronouns and Number:
Use the ASL pronoun that shows the particular number of people being talked about whenever possible.
When the exact number is unknown, use the general pronouns we, us, or they. (This is a “number
incorporation” using numbers 1 – 9 only.)
“DIVE-IN/IMMERSE”:
This ASL sign describes someone who becomes completely involved with an activity or group. It often refers
to hearing individuals who learn ASL and socialize with the Deaf community.
“DEAF WORLD”:
This term refers to the Deaf community’s clubs, sporting competitions, and social events where Deaf people
form the majority and ASL is the language everybody knows, uses, and cherishes.
Negative Responses:

Negative Response: You can incorporate the sign “NOT” while using a negative headshake. Often, you
can eliminate the sign “Not”, just incorporating the negative headshake. An example we have used so
far is “NOT-UNDERSTAND”.

Answering to a yes/no question: Simply use the sign “NO” and the negative headshake, then complete
the sentence. Example: “No, I am not married.” Gloss: NO I NOT MARRY or sign NO I DIVORCE You
can indicate the negative or correct the information.

Indicating “NONE/NO”: Use the sing “NONE” to indicate such things as “I don’t have any sisters”. The
sign “HAVE” is not needed and be sure to use the sign “NONE”, not “NO”. Gloss: I SISTER NONE
Master ASL!: Unit 4
Signing Naturally: Unit 5