ASL QUESTION TYPES
1. How are Yes/No questions formed in ASL?
ANSWER:
Eyebrows raised, lean slightly forward, hold the last sign.
6. What is topicalization in ASL?
ANSWER:
Topic appears first + eyebrows raised.
11. What are noun-verb pairs in ASL?
ANSWER:
Noun = repeated movement.
Verb = one movement.
Examples: SIT/CHAIR, CAR/DRIVE, AIRPLANE/FLY, WINDOW/OPEN-WINDOW.
16. What are the functions of numbers in ASL?
ANSWER:
Age, time, money, order/ranking.
21. What are the 4 types of ASL pronouns?
ANSWER:
Personal = 1-handshape
Possessive = B-handshape
Reflexive = A-handshape
Demonstrative = Y-handshape
2. How are WH-questions formed in ASL?
ANSWER:
Eyebrows lowered, head slightly forward, WH-sign at end.
7. How do you make a conditional (IF/THEN) statement?
ANSWER:
Eyebrows raised for the IF-clause, then body shift for THEN.
12. What does spatial agreement mean in ASL?
ANSWER:
Verbs move toward or away from locations set up in signing space.
17. What is number incorporation?
ANSWER:
Using numbers (1–9) inside signs for:
Age, Money, Week, Hour, Minute, Day, Month, Year (1-5), Cents, Yesterday/Tomorrow (1–3 days).
22. What are definite and indefinite quantifiers in ASL?
ANSWER:
Definite = exact numbers (12, 99, 101)
Indefinite = many, few, some, several
3. How are rhetorical questions formed in ASL?
ANSWER:
Eyebrows raised + signer immediately answers their own question.
8. What is contrastive structure in ASL?
ANSWER:
Body shift left/right to compare two or more ideas, people, or options.
13. What are the 3 types of ASL verbs?
ANSWER:
Plain (UNDERSTAND, LOVE, KNOW),
Spatial (JUMP, FLY, COME, DRIVE),
Inflecting/Agreement (BRING, INFORM, GIVE, TELL).
18. How can nouns be pluralized in ASL?
ANSWER:
Repetition, sweeping, stacking, classifiers, quantifiers, modifiers.
23. What are classifiers in ASL used for?
ANSWER:
Show size, shape, movement, location, orientation, interaction.
Examples: CL:1 person; CL:3 vehicle; CL:B flat; CL:F coin; CL:5 crowd.
4. What is the difference between Yes/No and WH-questions?
ANSWER:
Yes/No = eyebrows up.
WH = eyebrows down.
9. How does the ASL timeline work?
ANSWER:
Past = behind the body.
Present = close to body.
Future = in front of body.
14. What is negative incorporation?
ANSWER:
Adding a headshake into the verb movement.
19. How is tense shown in ASL?
ANSWER:
Time signs appear FIRST.
PAST behind; FUTURE forward; NOW near body.
24. What are common fingerspelled loan signs?
ANSWER:
#JOB, #AC, #CO, #FIX, #FUN, #NO, #DOG, #BS (ha!)
5. How are negative and assertive statements formed?
ANSWER:
Negative = head shake side-to-side.
Assertive = strong head nod up-down for emphasis.
10. What are the different ways to show conjunctions in ASL?
ANSWER:
FINISH, PLUS, HIT, FIRST/SECOND/THIRD, body lean, UNDERSTAND-NOW.
15. What is pronoun copy?
ANSWER:
Repeating the pronoun at the end for clarity (e.g., “He said, HE-SAID.”).
20. What is manner inflection in ASL?
ANSWER:
Changing movement + non-manual signals to show attitude, speed, style (slowly, quickly, messy, careful).
25. What is role shifting/direct address in ASL?
ANSWER:
Body shift, eye gaze, facial expression, and pronoun indexing to show characters and dialogue.