ASL+Sentence+Structure

ASL Studies ASL Structure media type="youtube" key="fS5ASHxYTx4" height="151" width="268"

American Sign Language: "Common ASL Sentence types"

ASL Sentence types: * **"Wh" questions (whq) ** Nonmanual marker: The eyebrows are furrowed a bit (squeezed somewhat together) and the head moved slightly forward.  Example: WHO INDEX-"he"? ("Who is that guy?")

*** YES or NO" answer questions (y/n) ** Nonmanual marker: The eyebrows are raised a bit and the head slightly tilted forward. Example: YOU GO? (Are you going?)

*** Declarative sentences (several types) ** > Example: "I WILL." (I'll do it.) > Example: "I can't." Example: INDEX-"I/me" GO STORE. ("I'm going to the store.")
 * Affirmative Declarative sentences: Sign with a nodding of the head.
 * Negative Declarative sentences: Sign with a shaking of the head.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">Neutral Declarative sentences: Non-manual marker: Use a neutral head position and little or no shaking or nodding.

**<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 35px;">* Conditional sentences. (if/then statements) ** <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">Raise your eyebrows during the "if" part of the sentence, then use a declarative nod for the "then" part of the sentence. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">Example: TOMORROW RAIN? GAME CANCEL. (If it rains tomorrow, we will cancel the game.)

**<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 35px;">* Topicalized: ** > Raise your eyebrows while establishing the topic. Then lower your eyebrows to ask the "Wh"-type question: <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">Example: CAR FRONT? WHO? [Explanation: Whose car is that out front?]
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">Topicalized Whq question:

> Sign the topic with your eyebrows raised, then make a declarative statement.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">Topicalized statement:

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">Example: CAR FRONT? MY. (That car out front is mine.)

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**<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 35px;"> * Rhetorical Questions (rhet) **

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">A "rhetorical question" in ASL uses the raised eyebrows (non-manual features / facial expressions) of a "yes/no question" because you are not actually asking "how to do something," but rather you are asking your conversation partner if he or she wants to know how to do something. It is a way of getting him or her to pay attention.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">Rhetorical questions in ASL tend to use a with a slight tilt of the head and a raising of the eyebrows in combination with one of the following signs:

**<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">WHO, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, HOW, FOR-FOR, REASON, etc **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">To use a rhetorical question, make a statement using neutral expressions, then ask a "wh"-type of question--but instead of having your eyebrows down--raise your eyebrows during the "wh" sign. Then answer your own question using either a head nod or a head shake depending on whether your answer is declarative or negative.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">Example: INDEX-(he) FAIL CLASS, WHY? STUDY-(neg) (He failed class because he didn't study.)

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">(For more information, see: "Rhetorical Questions ►")

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">A "rhetorical question" is a question that you ask for the purpose of keeping your audience awake. (Okay, so that isn't a dictionary definition, but trust me, that is what rhetorical questions are used for.)

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">A normal "wh-question" is: "How are we going to do it?"

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">A normal "yes/no question" is: "Do you want to know how we are going to do it?"

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">A rhetorical question is: "We are going to do it. How? By working together."

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">Now look at what we really mean with that rhetorical "how":

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">"We are going to do it. (Do you want to know) how? By working together."

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">The sentence, "Do you want to know how?" is generally answered with a "yes" or a "no" thus it is considered a "yes/no" question (in ASL) and so we raise our eyebrows when asking it.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">Normal "Wh-questions" use "furrowed eyebrows."

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">Normal "Yes/no questions" use "raised eyebrows."

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">Rhetorical "Wh-questions" use "raised eyebrows."

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<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 30px; text-align: center;">Example of a rhetorical: <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">**English:** She passed her class! How? She paid the teacher.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">**ASL:** "SHE PASS CLASS, HOW-(rhetorical)? PAY TEACHER.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">(The sign "HOW" in the above sentence would have raised eyebrows and a slight tilt of the head.)

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">If I wanted to sign the sentence, "We have come to school so we can improve ourselves." I would sign, "WE COME HERE, WHY-(rhetorical)?, IMPROVE SELF-(horizontal sweeping motion.)

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">(The sign "WHY" in the above sentence would have raised eyebrows and a slight tilt of the head.)

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">**English**: "We couldn't afford to waste the ammo."

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">**ASL**: Use the nonmanual marker "carelessly" while using an instrument classifier "GUN" to demonstrate the shooting of a gun carelessly, CAN'T, WHY-(rhetorical)?, FRUGAL BULLETS.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">(The sign "WHY" in the above sentence would have raised eyebrows and a slight tilt of the head.)

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;">**English**: "We are doing to do this by buying five houses a year." <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;"> **ASL**: "WE ACHIEVE HOW-(rhetorical)? BUY 5 HOUSE every-YEAR" <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;"> (The sign "HOW" in the above sentence would have raised eyebrows and a slight tilt of the head.) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 25px;"> Here we see that the concept of "by" can sometimes be expressed through the use of a rhetorical question: "HOW?" = "by."