3 ms·

Care to elaborate on the grammatical differences? You've got me curious now.

brianlweiner 13y ago
Here are some examples and discussion http://www.alldeaf.com/general-chat/15551-grammar-among-deaf-people.html http://www.alldeaf.com/general-chat/15551-grammar-among-deaf... (although I can't speak to the reliability of the source) Basically ASL (and other forms of sign language) use constructs and tense that don't necessarily translate well into specific words without lots of experience.
robflynn 13y ago
I cannot speak for other sign languages, but ASL uses a few different forms of word order -- Object, Subject, Verb is used a good bit. There are often rhetorical questions thrown in that are immediately answered by the signer. Facial expression is also very important to convey meaning. A few examples: The signs for 'wish' and 'hungry' look the same. The difference is the facial expression. If you wanted to sign, "All we want to do is eat your brains", the order would most likely be: 'We want do-what? Your brains eat.' There is another form of signing called 'Signed English.' It borrows most of ASL's signs but puts them in standard english order. It has been a bit controversial in the past, though. You also run into odd colloquialisms or regional signs. I'm not quite sure what to call them. A quick example is the word 'grass.' I learned the sign for grass but, for some reason, that sign means 'truck' where I live currently. Anyway, I'm rambling. If you have any specific questions I can try to answer them. edit Watch this youtube video with captions enabled. The video is captioned in english and in "ASL": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQYjZc7gKXc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQYjZc7gKXc
- jmelloy 13y ago
  Another good regional example is cities. Illinois signers have a specific sign for Chicago, for instance, whereas outside the state it's just finger spelled. Sign is incredibly conceptual and has a large spatial component. This is definitely a cool step though.
- Kronopath 13y ago
  Thanks a lot! That video especially is very illustrative. And Jonathan Coulton is great, although the concept of an "ASL song" kind of baffles me.
  - robflynn 13y ago
    It seems odd at first, but 'ASL Songs' allow deaf and hard of hearing individuals to better experience that bit of culture (music.) Some folks are simply hard of hearing and may have trouble understanding what they're hearing. ASL can be very expressive and can be an art form itself. There's a neat thing in the deaf culture called 'ABC Stories.' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBUdzGH6WbU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBUdzGH6WbU They are stories that are told using the alphabet finger spelling signs.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]

Here are some examples and discussion http://www.alldeaf.com/general-chat/15551-grammar-among-deaf-people.html http://www.alldeaf.com/general-chat/15551-grammar-among-deaf... (although I can't speak to the reliability of the source) Basically ASL (and other forms of sign language) use constructs and tense that don't necessarily translate well into specific words without lots of experience.

robflynn 13y ago

I cannot speak for other sign languages, but ASL uses a few different forms of word order -- Object, Subject, Verb is used a good bit. There are often rhetorical questions thrown in that are immediately answered by the signer. Facial expression is also very important to convey meaning. A few examples: The signs for 'wish' and 'hungry' look the same. The difference is the facial expression. If you wanted to sign, "All we want to do is eat your brains", the order would most likely be: 'We want do-what? Your brains eat.' There is another form of signing called 'Signed English.' It borrows most of ASL's signs but puts them in standard english order. It has been a bit controversial in the past, though. You also run into odd colloquialisms or regional signs. I'm not quite sure what to call them. A quick example is the word 'grass.' I learned the sign for grass but, for some reason, that sign means 'truck' where I live currently. Anyway, I'm rambling. If you have any specific questions I can try to answer them. edit Watch this youtube video with captions enabled. The video is captioned in english and in "ASL": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQYjZc7gKXc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQYjZc7gKXc

jmelloy 13y ago
Another good regional example is cities. Illinois signers have a specific sign for Chicago, for instance, whereas outside the state it's just finger spelled. Sign is incredibly conceptual and has a large spatial component. This is definitely a cool step though.
Kronopath 13y ago
Thanks a lot! That video especially is very illustrative. And Jonathan Coulton is great, although the concept of an "ASL song" kind of baffles me.
- robflynn 13y ago
  It seems odd at first, but 'ASL Songs' allow deaf and hard of hearing individuals to better experience that bit of culture (music.) Some folks are simply hard of hearing and may have trouble understanding what they're hearing. ASL can be very expressive and can be an art form itself. There's a neat thing in the deaf culture called 'ABC Stories.' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBUdzGH6WbU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBUdzGH6WbU They are stories that are told using the alphabet finger spelling signs.

deleted 13y ago

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