ASL Class Week 8: Noun-Verb Pairs & Topicalization

Movement is one of the five parameters in American Sign Language. When movement changes while keeping other parameters constant, different signs are produced. For example, the signs 'orange' and 'age' have identical hand shape (C to S movement), location (chin), palm orientation (palm facing in), and non-manual signals, but differ in movement pattern.

American Sign Language (ASL) is a visual language governed by five essential parameters: handshape (the physical configuration of the hand), location (where the sign is performed on the body), palm orientation (the direction the palm faces), movement/motion (how the hand moves), and facial expressions/non-manual markers (facial cues that modify meaning). These parameters work together to create distinct signs; changing any single parameter while keeping others constant produces a different sign. For example, the signs for 'insurance,' 'infection,' and 'emergency' share identical movement and location but differ in handshape; similarly, 'mother' and 'father' use the same handshape and movement but different locations. Understanding these five parameters is fundamental to learning and mastering ASL as a complete linguistic system.

The five parameters of sign are handshape, palm orientation, location, movement, and non-manual signals. These five elements work together to create meaning in American Sign Language. For example, the sign 'Don't understand' uses a fist handshape that flicks out to a one, with palm facing inward, located next to the head with a finger flick movement, accompanied by a head shaking non-manual signal.

American Sign Language has five distinct parameters that constitute its phonological system: handshape (finger and palm configuration), movement (direction and path of hand motion), location (body position or space), palm orientation (which way the palm faces), and non-manual markers (facial expressions and body movements). Changing any single parameter creates a completely different meaning. For example, changing palm orientation from up to down changes 'children' to 'balance'; changing handshape keeps movement constant but produces different words like 'cheese' versus 'paper'; changing location produces different meanings even with identical handshapes and movements.

ASL signs are composed of five key parameters: handshape (the configuration of fingers), palm orientation (direction the palm faces), location (where the sign is made in space), movement (how the hand moves), and non-manual signals (facial expressions and body language). Each parameter can independently change the meaning of a sign.

This segment introduces fundamental vocabulary for daily life, including action verbs like 'sit', 'wear', 'visit', 'set', and 'call', as well as common nouns such as 'ground', 'coat', 'site', 'table', 'base', and 'police'. These words form the foundation of basic communication, enabling learners to describe simple actions, locations, and objects in everyday situations.

Basic action verbs: eat, drink, walk, run, sit, stand, open, close, write, type, read, sleep. Example sentences: 'I usually eat lunch at 1:00 p.m.' and 'He opened the door and walked outside.' Practice: 'She read a book before sleeping' and 'We stood in line at the bank.' These action words are so common they appear in almost every English sentence.

This section teaches common action verbs and nouns: knock (खटखटाना/नॉक), wink (आंख मारना/विंक), touch (स्पर्श करना/टच), meet (मिलना/मीट), leave (छोड़ना/लीव), start (शुरू करना/स्टार्ट), finish (खत्म होना/फिनिश्ड), bloom (खिलना/ब्लूम), watering (पानी देना/वाटरिंग), gesture (इशारा करना/जेस्चर), make noise (हल्ला करना/मेक अ नॉइज), hesitate (हिचकिचाना/हेजिटेट), upset (परेशान होना/अपसेट), panic (घबराना/पैनिकिक), irritate (चिढ़ना/इरिटेट), argue (बहस करना/आर्ग्यू), discuss (चर्चा करना/डिस्कस), compare (तुलना करना/कंपेयर), describe (वर्णन करना/डिस्क्राइब), inform (सूचित करना/इनफॉर्म), request (अनुरोध करना/रिक्वेस्ट), allow (अनुमति देना/अलव), assure (भरोसा दिलाना/अस्योर), suppose (मान लेना/सपोज), decide (तय करना/डिसाइड), claim (दावा करना/क्लेम), measure (मापना/मेजर), reduce (कम करना/रिड्यूस), overcome (काबू पाना/ओवरकम), boycott (बहिष्कार करना/बॉयकॉट), gamble (जुआ खेलना/गैंबल).

This segment introduces fundamental action verbs that learners should master. The vocabulary includes have, come, go, get, give, take, no, not, understand, think, see, say, talk, make, feel, ask, work, try, here, walk, run, watch, drink, eat, pay, change, apply, remain, assume, disappear, complain, imagine, describe, play, expect, wait, follow, open, close, sing, sleep, right, reply, read, laugh, learn, hope, fall, cry, catch, remember, sit, stand, fathom, contain, avoid, receive, realize, solve, discover, insure, involved, represent, very, survive, depend, appreciate, compare, recognize, anticipate, prove, react, overcome, adapt, examine, justify, adjust, deliver, encourage, expand, emphasize, acquire, retain, negotiate, arrive, ignore, convince, behave, remind, admit, persuade, translate, check, support, remove, throw, pick, lead, cancel, beauty, bravery, confidence, anger, comfort, courage, compassion, confusion, curiosity, dedication, determination, dexterity, dictatorship, disappointment, disbelief, disturbance, dream, education, ego, envy, humor, fear, freedom, friendship, gossip, hate, height, idea, honesty, integrity, kindness, loyalty, sanity, opportunity, life, love, power, pride, infatuation, peace, poverty, culture, energy, imagination, motivation, opinion, reality, success, trust, above, under, among, after, amongst, beneath, without, apart from, from, until, to, through, all, nothing, when, what, where, why, how, easy, hard, important, useful, loud, pleasant, unusual, and wall. These verbs form the foundation for expressing actions, states, and interactions in English.

This section covers essential English vocabulary including action verbs and common nouns. Action verbs describe physical and mental activities: add (include something extra), allow (give permission), attract (draw attention), create (bring into existence), damage (harm), design (plan and create), dress (put clothes on), explain (make clear), fill (make full), fix (repair), follow (obey instructions), guess (estimate without certainty), hold (grasp or organize), kill (cause death), miss (feel sadness about absence), notice (become aware of), paint (apply color), pass (succeed), prepare (get ready), recommend (suggest), relax (become calm), rent (pay for temporary use), return (come back), serve (provide), suggest (propose), taste (experience flavor), throw (propel through air), and wake (stop sleeping). Common nouns describe people, places, objects, and concepts: apartment (residential unit), area (region of land), chance (opportunity), clothes (items worn), department (division in organization), fact (true information), fair (public event), firefighter (person who fights fires), flight (journey by air), front (forward position), gate (barrier or entrance), goods (items or merchandise), grade (level or rank), husband (married man), insect (small creature with six legs), island (land surrounded by water), item (thing or object), land (ground or earth), mall (shopping center), market (place to buy goods), meal (main eating occasion), medicine (substance to treat illness), nature (natural world), neighbor (person who lives nearby), orchestra (group of musicians), person (individual human being), plastic (synthetic material), police (law enforcement officers), presentation (formal talk), price (money required to purchase), prize (award or reward), product (item produced by company), recipe (instructions for preparing food), reservation (booking in advance), result (outcome of something), rule (regulation to follow), sale (reduction in price), section (part or division), seed (small plant embryo), skill (ability to do something well), smartphone (mobile phone with advanced features), space (expanse of universe beyond Earth), visitor (person who visits), and wheel (circular object that rotates). These vocabulary words are essential for describing daily activities, social interactions, and the world around us.

In American Sign Language, facial expressions and body movement serve as the primary mechanisms for conveying tone, inflection, and emphasis—functions that vocal modulation handles in spoken English. Unlike English where emotional nuance emerges naturally from voice, ASL signers must consciously employ facial expressions (smiles for happiness, frowns for sadness) and hand movements to establish meaning. These non-manual markers constitute approximately half of ASL communication, working in tandem with manual signs to create complete linguistic messages. The instructor emphasizes that without proper facial expression, even correctly formed signs fail to convey their intended meaning, making these elements indispensable rather than optional aspects of signing.

Non-Manual Markers (NMMs) are facial expressions and body movements that accompany signs and contribute to meaning, including facial expressions, head movements, and body movements. Notation systems capture signs for analysis and memory retention through jotting down observed signs. Glossing uses abbreviations like 't' for topic-ization expressions. Transcription captures exact structural details while translation changes language while preserving meaning.

Non-manual markers (NMM) are body movements and facial expressions that accompany hand signs in sign language. There are two types of facial expressions: (1) expressing emotions like happiness or sadness, and (2) following grammatical rules like question markers. Learners often confuse these two types. NMM is naturally acquired through observation of native signers. By repeatedly watching and identifying NMM in conversations, learners can gradually understand their meaning and purpose. Prolonged exposure to native signers helps internalize these markers intuitively.

ASL grammar is built on five parameters—hand shape, palm orientation, location, movement, and non-manual signals—that together form complete signs; non-manual signals (facial expressions, body language) are essential for expressing grammatical concepts like affirmation/negation and forming yes/no questions, which follow a specific structure: point to the person, use raised eyebrows and forward lean, ask the question, and end with a closing signal pointing back.