LIN200H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Handshape, Oralism, Simultaneous Communication
LIN200 Lecture 5
OCTOBER 26 2017
-how is sign language different from art?
-it’s how writing is different from drawing
-a drawing can convey a message, but not a sentence
-transmitting an idea, not a sentence==not linguistic meaning
-semiotics is the broader study of meaning in general, not just linguist meaning
-while sign language is iconic, if can differ in many ways, and be ambiguous
-can have different SVO order
-sometimes the teachers do not have that much influence, because they have been
trained in an oralist tradition which only allows lip reading, enunciation, etc
-children, even in an oral school, are still going to develop a sign language
-critical period :first 5-10 years of life
-acquiring a language in these years takes no effort
-learning two languages at this time doesn’t effect the degree to which you learn them—
it won’t impact the quality
-acquiring vs learning is very different
-learning requires study, memorization, practice, getting an explicit direct education
-this is why it’s so difficult for adults to learn new languages
-CODA: children of deaf adults
-as long as they have some peer based spoken language input will acquire the
spoken language normally, also acquire the sign language their parents use
-simcom: simultaneous communication, doing both sign and english at the same time, is
difficult and tiring
-sign language communication tends to develop faster than spoken language bc the
children have more control over their motor skills that their mouths
-in first year or so, hearing child can’t control their mouths as well as sign children
can control their motor skills
Phonetics (sign version of the mid-sagittal diagram):
-two types of articulators: manual (hands, arms, fingers), and non manual (face, head,
torso, etc.)
-we are talking about linguistic meaning
-ex. eyebrows raised means question, eyebrows lowered is statement
-torso can be used to express surprise
-torso can also be used to differentiate between two people in reporting about a
conversation
-in spoken language, if we say [p] is voiceless stop, those are categories we ascribe to it
-in sign, these categories are: handshape, orientation, location, and movement
-handshape: 7 unmarked (show up in every sign language, probably because they are
easy to do and easily distinguishable from each other).
-all of the other ways of moving your fingers is a marked handshape: not
guaranteed to see these in every sign language
-if you are using two hands, what happens on undominant hand is either a mirror
of the dominant hand, or an unmarked shape (it won’t be a marked shape)
(Nathan says this is probs on test)
-orientation: moving the hands is mirrored between right dominant and left dominant
signers
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
As long as they have some peer based spoken language input will acquire the. A drawing can convey a message, but not a sentence. Transmitting an idea, not a sentence==not linguistic meaning. Semiotics is the broader study of meaning in general, not just linguist meaning. While sign language is iconic, if can differ in many ways, and be ambiguous. Sometimes the teachers do not have that much influence, because they have been trained in an (cid:1688)oralist(cid:1689) tradition which only allows lip reading, enunciation, etc. Children, even in an oral school, are still going to develop a sign language. Acquiring a language in these years takes no effort. Learning two languages at this time doesn"t effect the degree to which you learn them it won"t impact the quality. Learning requires study, memorization, practice, getting an explicit direct education. This is why it"s so difficult for adults to learn new languages.
