2. DISCUSSION:
H E A D N O D D I N G , S H A K I N G , A N D N O B E - V E R B S
When signing a sentence in ASL you don't
use state of being verbs such as:
• Is
• Am
• Was
• Were
• Are
• Be
• Being
• been...
Examples:
• I am happy would be signed
• I HAPPY (while nodding my
head and smiling.)
• If I wanted to sign “I'm not
happy,” Then I would sign “I
HAPPY” while shaking my head
negatively and frowning a bit or
pursing my lips.
To affirm that a thing or state exists
in ASL you nod your head.
When negating the existence of a
state or thing in ASL you shake
your head.
3. DISCUSSION CONT…
While ASL doesn't use signs for "be verbs" for everyday communication -- there are signs for
referring to be verbs.
Read that again if you need to. That sentence could get you in trouble with your local teacher.
My is that in ASL "be verb" signs are reserved for situations where you are talking about
English.
For example, a teacher in an English class at a Deaf school might use signs for "is, am, was,
were, be, being, been" and so forth to talk about the English language while teaching an English
class.
But ASL itself doesn't use "be verbs." Most ASL instructors will tell you ASL doesn't use "be verbs"
-- and they are right in that the grammar of ASL doesn't require a "subject + be- verb +
adjective" type of sentence. Instead ASL tends to use a "subject + predicate" type of structure.
("Predicate" is just a fancy word that means "say something about.") You might call that a topic +
comment sentence structure.
Some people say that ASL doesn't use a "Subject-Verb-Object" (SVO) sentence structure. That’s
a load of
ASL uses a variety of sentence types and does indeed make use of SVO sentence structure (in
addition to other structures)
For example:
“I GO STORE” uses a subject-verb-object structure. So,
remember ASL uses many different sentence structures (just like
all other real languages).
4. Don't let the gloss fool you, ("gloss" is
what you call it when you write one
language in another language.)
Just because I didn't type the words "am"
and "to" doesn't mean that the function of
"am" and "to" aren't being taken care of.
The function of these words is to indicate
affirmation or existence.
The function of the word "am" in that
sentence is replaced by a slight nod of the
head; and "to" is incorporated in the
movement and direction of the sign for GO.
The sign GO actually means, "go to."
There is much more to ASL than can be
easily typed onto a flat screen.
Let's get really clear on this--if someone asks
you, "Does ASL use 'be' verbs?" -- you
should answer "No." If asked on a quiz,
Does ASL have 'be' verbs? you should
answer "No."
But in the back of your head remember that
there are Signed English signs for "BE, WAS,
WERE" -- we just don't use them as verbs in
ASL and when we do use them it is to sign in
English (not ASL) or to talk about English.
25. POSSESSION
In ASL, personal pronouns (me, she/he, you, us, them) can indicate possession by
changing the handshape from an index finger to a flat hand (a version of a "b" palm).
The palm should face toward the person or thing that is doing the possessing.
• For example, the sign for "you" when done with a "b" palm, fingertips up, palm
toward the person, means "your.“
Other examples:
• mine: "b" palm on chest
• his: "b" palm toward the person
• hers "b" palm toward the person
• theirs "b" palm makes sweeping motion indicating whom is being referred to
your / yours /
belongs to you
their / theirs / belonging
to multiple individualsour / ours
my / mine /
belongs to
me
HIS, HER, and
ITS can all be
indicated by the
same sign:
26. POSSESSION CONT.…
General possession can be indicated by signing the word "have." To do this, place the fingertips of both "b"
palms on your chest. Your hands should be bent at the knuckles with the fingers straight.
Another way to indicate possession is the order in which you sign something. For example, if you sign: "my
mother dog dead," the order of the signing ("dog" immediately after "mother") would establish that the dog
belonged to your mother.
Question: Can I use the "S" for possession in ASL? Like in "Sara's daughter.“
Response: In general I do not use the possessive "S" to establish possession in ASL. For those of you
who have never seen a possessive "S" -- it is done by adding a slight inward twist to an "S-hand." Think of
someone holding onto a stick of beef jerky and then twisting their hand as they bite off a piece to chew on.
(No, the possessive "S" isn't done near the mouth, it is done in the general signing/fingerspelling space.
But the motion is similar to the twisting motion a person uses to bite a bit of beef jerky.) The possessive "S"
is used quite commonly in Contact Signing (PSE) and or SEE, but not as often in ASL.
Just about the only time I use a possessive "S" in ASL is when I'm fingerspelling a title. For example,
suppose someone asks me what is the name of that delicious pizza place we went to the other night, I
might respond by fingerspelling "A-N-T-O-N-I-O'S," using a possessive "S" at the end of Antonio's.
In ASL, to sign "Sara's daughter," I'd spell "S-A-R-A" and then sign "DAUGHTER." The order of the words
would indicate the relationship. If I needed to be absolutely clear, I'd sign, "S-A-R-A, HER-[aiming the
possessive B-palm toward Sara or the referent-area for Sara] DAUGHTER."
