LANGUAGE IN USE
Linguistics is not limited to the structure of a language, but how it is also used. Just like any other spoken and signed language, ASL has variation and has gone through historical changes, There is also a social function of language that allows the user to indicate acknowledgement, apologizing, warning, threatening, commanding and requesting functions. ASL has also progressed to become an art form that blankets many different forms, including: story-telling (A-Z stories, number stories, and percussion signing), drama, deaf humor, poetry, and film.
Variation and Historical Change
In spoken language there are different words used to describe the same thing and the different words are used by different people depending on their region. For example, in America the word for" bathroom"/"restroom" is "toilet", whereas in England the word used is "loo". Similarly, in ASL there are different versions of the same sign, depending on where you go. For example, the sign COMPUTER can vary in location from the side of the forehead or the top of the weak hand; the sign for TEASE can also vary in handshape from an T or an X.
Variation and Historical Change
In spoken language there are different words used to describe the same thing and the different words are used by different people depending on their region. For example, in America the word for" bathroom"/"restroom" is "toilet", whereas in England the word used is "loo". Similarly, in ASL there are different versions of the same sign, depending on where you go. For example, the sign COMPUTER can vary in location from the side of the forehead or the top of the weak hand; the sign for TEASE can also vary in handshape from an T or an X.
Changes also occur throughout history where a new form of a sign is introduced and the old and new sign coexist until the old sign disappears. And example of this are the signs for BREAKFAST, LUNCH, and DINNER. The old signs involve using the B, L, and D handshapes, respectively, and tapping the hand against the chin. The new signs now are a compound sign of the signs for EAT and MORNING, AFTERNOON, and DINNER, respectively.
[Homework 18]
ASL Discourse
ASL discourse refers to how language is organized in conversations. Language has social functions and communicative functions, hence, language is a type of social behavior. There are also language norms and structure of language use. For example, it is the norm to walk between two people signing without saying anything, because it is more polite to pass by without any interference so you do not halt the conversation and cause further interruption. Another part of the structure in discourse is "turn-taking". In ASL there are different ways to keep or take the floor in conversations. If you want to keep the floor you can keep your hands raised or avert your eyes to indicate that you are not finished. If you want to take the floor you can hold up your hands to indicate that you have something to say, or take advantage of pauses in the conversation to draw the attention to yourself.
[Homework 19]
Language as Art
Over the years, ASL has grown to encompass different facets of expressing itself, through storytelling, dramas, poetry and film. Storytelling includes A-Z and number stories and percussion signing. Here is an example of an A-Z story:
There are ASL plays and skits and poetry, and now, with technology advancing, there has been a lot of progression with film. There have been Deaf actors and actresses who have been in famous, award-winning films and TV shows. Marlee Matlin won an academy award for her perfomance in Children of a Lesser God, and she and Katie Leclerc are currently starring in the TV show Switched at Birth, which has won ALMA, Gracie Allen and Peabody Awardsl. Katie Leclerc has also made an appearance on one of the most popular TV shows currently airing, The Big Bang Theory.