EXERCISES FOR WEEK 13: INTRODUCTION TO LINGUISTICS

Name : Daniella Utami

NIM : 23018077

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Review of terms and concepts: sign language

1. The human facility for language is not dependent on either speech or hearing.

2. Language is a mental potential involving a lexicon and a grammar.

3. Some advantages of sign language over speech are writing quiet situations and noisy situations.

4. Everyone knows a sign language. This statement is false.

5. Signing is not a universal language.

6. A sign that is picture-like is called an icon.

7. Sign languages are composed of signs which, by and large, are not iconic. This statement is true.

8. Three reasons that sign languages are used are as a lingua franca, for hunting, and by the deaf.

9. The type of signing that one usually sees in public forums is manual English.

10. ASL is a completely different language than English.

11. ASL has its own grammar. This statement is true.

12. Only about 10 percent of deaf children have deaf parents.

13. Deaf children of Deaf parents acquire sign language acquire ASL and other visual modes of
delivering language as easily and as efficiently as hearing children learn spoken language.

14. At first, signing children make single signs with predictable errors, comparable to hearing
children’s errors in pronunciation.

15. When signing children begin combining signs, they omit function signs just as speaking children
omit function words, producing telegraphic language.

16. Hearing parents have traditionally discouraged their deaf children from signing and encouraged
them to learn and/or use speech and lip reading.

17. Congenitally deaf people who do not learn to sign are usually at a communicative disadvantage.
This statement is true.

18. Cherology was the old name for what is now called phonology.

19. An ASL sign can be thought of as a symbol composed of four simultaneously produced features.
The feature that refers to the location of the sign is called TAB; the feature that refers to the
action of the sign is called SIG; the feature that refers to the shape of what acts is called DEZ; and
the feature that refers to the direction that the palm is held is called ORI.

20. William Stokoe isolated 55 phonemes for ASL.

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21. In addition to the answer to question 19, other parameters of sign language include.

22. The abbreviation NMGSs stands for non-manual grammatical signals.

23. NMGSs include movements of the eyebrows, mouth, shoulders, head, and body to change the
meaning of signs that are otherwise the same.

24. A sound or sign that is frequently used, basic, and easily formed is said to be the most unmarked
hand shapes.

25. ASL displays redundancy in the following way: in many signs made with two hands, the non-
moving hand can only take one of the six unmarked shapes.

26. ASL is a highly inflected language. This statement is true.

27. ASL uses three dimensional space for inflection.

28. In ASL, the constant flow of information is often aided by the use of NMGS’s: facial behaviours
and other body movements.

29. Nicaraguan Sign Language allowed linguists the rare opportunity to study the origin and
development of a new language.

30. The fact that signers will use different signs in different situations is an example of register
differences in sign language.

End-of-chapter exercises: signing

1. The average hearing American uses and/or understands slightly fewer than 100 emblems.
Emblems are hand or body gestures that have a specific dictionary-type definition (see Chapter
13). Describe at least six of these emblems.

EXAMPLE: Two fingers formed into a V represent peace or victory.

 Thumbs up indicates approval, agreement, or satisfaction.

 Handshake represent greeting, sealing a deal, or showing agreement.
 Finger to lips (shushing gesture) used to request silence or secrecy.
 Crossing fingers symbolizes wishing for good luck or making a promise.
 Nodding signifies agreement, understanding, or affirmation.
 Waving gesture used to greet or bid farewell to someone.

2. Describe the DEZ, SIG, TAB, and ORI for the emblems you listed in question 1. Use Figure 11-5 as
your guide. You may find that this list will not always be adequate for your purposes. In those
cases, devise your own DEZ, SIG, TAB, or ORI descriptions and invent a symbol for each.

 Thumbs up

DEZ: Positive response or agreement.

SIG: Raising the thumb upward with the other fingers curled into the palm.

TAB: Generally accepted in most contexts.

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 ORI: Possibly originates from ancient Roman gladiatorial contests, where a thumbs-up
signified sparing the defeated fighter's life.

 Handshake

DEZ: Traditional greeting or agreement gesture.

SIG: Gripping another person's hand and shaking it up and down.

TAB: Generally acceptable in most social and professional settings.

ORI: Originated as a gesture of peace in ancient times, signifying that both parties were
unarmed.

 Finger to lips (shushing gesture)

DEZ: Requesting silence or secrecy.

SIG: Placing an index finger vertically over the lips.

TAB: Generally acceptable in quiet place but can be considered rude if used aggressively.

ORI: The origin is unclear, but it likely originated as a non-verbal way to request silence in
ancient cultures.

 Crossing fingers

DEZ: Wishing for good luck or making a promise.

SIG: Crossing the index and middle fingers of one hand over the other.

TAB: Generally considered harmless and even playful, but crossing fingers behind one's
back while making a promise is seen as deceitful.

ORI: Originates from medieval Christian superstition, where crossed fingers were believed
to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck.

 Nodding

DEZ: Signifying agreement, understanding, or affirmation.

SIG: Tilting the head downward and then back up in a repeated motion.

TAB: Universally understood as a positive gesture.

ORI: Likely originates from infancy, where babies nod in response to comfort or approval
from caregivers.

 Waving

DEZ: Greeting or bidding farewell to someone.

SIG: Raising and lowering the hand in a repetitive motion with the palm facing outward.

TAB: Generally accepted as a friendly gesture.

ORI: Likely originated as a way to signal peaceful intentions in ancient times, showing that
one's hand was empty and not holding a weapon.

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3. Most emblems stand for a single word or a short phrase. Sometimes emblems will be strung
together to create longer phrases or sentences. List six phrases, sentences, or series of sentences
that Americans may construct from emblems.

EXAMPLES: Finger to lip (QUIET), first finger of outstretched hand in back-and-forth motion
(COME IN), finger pointed to chair (SIT DOWN), one finger held straight up (WAIT A MINUTE).

“Quiet. Come in and sit down. I will only be a minute.”

 Crossing fingers (GOOD LUCK), followed by thumbs up (YOU CAN DO IT), then hands
grabbing the chest (BELIEVE IN YOURSELF). : “Good luck. You can do it, believe in yourself.”
 Waving (HELLO), finger pointing to wrist (WHAT TIME). : “Hello, what time is it?”
 Bring fingers together to mouth (DINNER), interlock fingers and move hands forward
together (TOGETHER). : “Let’s have a dinner together.”
 Finger to lips (QUIET), followed by a hand motion (COME HERE). : “Come here quietly.”
 Nodding (YES), finger pointing to oneself (ME), and two fingers forming a V shape
(VICTORY). : “Yes, I win.”
 Waving (GOODBYE), a finger pointing upwards (SEE YOU LATER). : “Bye, see you later.”

4. Are the signs and sign sequences you listed as answers to questions 1 to 3 accompanied by facial
movements or postural changes? Explain.

Sign sequence listed above accompanied by facial movements and postural changes depending
on the context and situations. For example in sentence “Let’s have a dinner together.” Uses a
warm and inviting facial expression and a slight forward lean indicating eagerness.

5. Does the use of 100 or so emblems on limited occasions constitute a sign language? Explain why
it does or does not.

Emblems can serve as non-verbal communication cues or gestures within specific cultural or
social contexts, they lack the linguistic complexity, consistency, and universality of true sign
languages like ASL. Therefore, the use of around 100 emblems on limited occasions does not
constitute a sign language in the same way that ASL or other established sign languages do.

6. What is the difference between a delivery system for a language and a language?

Language is the system of communication with rules and structure, a delivery system for a
language is how the language is expressed, transmitted, and received by the receiver.

7. Is ASL a language? Explain.

Yes, ASL is a full-fledged language used by many deaf and hard of hearing individuals. ASL has
its own distinct grammar, syntax, vocabulary, and rules of phonology and morphology, making
it a complete linguistic system.

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8. How does the study of ASL show that language is not dependent on either speech or hearing?

The study of ASL demonstrates that language is not dependent on either speech or hearing.
ASL's visual-gestural modality, grammar and structure, and usage within deaf communities
illustrate that language can be conveyed through visual channels, possess its own linguistic
rules, and thrive independently of spoken language or auditory input.