Phonology
What are the five parameters of signs?
handshape, location, movement, orientation, and non-manual markers
What is the symbol used to mark something as a lexicalized ASL word that derives from fingerspelling?
# (ex. #FB)
What is the basic word order of ASL?
SVO
What is the difference between a macro-community and a micro-community?
Macro-community is an institutionally developed community of signers; Micro-community is a village sign language naturally created due to higher rate of deafness in the region.
What is the non-manual marker for something that is very big?
CHA
How does ASL make nouns out of verbs? For example, how does ASL make PRINTER out of PRINT?
Reduplication
What syntactic processes occurred here?
MONEY NEED IX3 ('He needs money')
Topicalization, subject drop, subject pronoun copy
Two handed signs
Forehead location maintained
Larger signing space
Clausal repetition
Less mouthing of English words (older)
AAE incorporation
Lexical variation
How does ASL show the domain size of quantifiers like "EVERY" or "SOME"?
With the height of the sign
How is the phonology of Black ASL different from White ASL?
The signing space is much bigger
What is the difference between derivational and inflectional morphology?
Derivational morphology makes a new word; inflectional morphology reflects some relation between arguments and events
What are the three types of classifiers used in ASL?
Entity, size-shape, instrumental/handling
Because cochlear implants are not perfect, and lack of early language access results in long-lasting negative effects.
What methods of reference do ASL signers use when the referent is highly accessible?
Constructed action, null argument, entity CL, agreement
Which parameter of TWO is incorporated into the sign for TWO-WEEKS?
Handshape
In compounding to make new words, ASL follows a morphological rule called Single Sequence Rule. What is Single Sequence Rule?
Internal movement or repetition in the individual signs are deleted to create a single sequence
What is the difference between a spatial verb and an agreeing verb? For example, how does GIVE-a-b-c differ from PUT-a-b-c?
An agreeing verb indicates the argument structure, while a spatial verb indicates the actual location involved in the action. GIVE-a-b-c just means `give to three people', while PUT-a-b-c means 'put here here and here'
Why are there less (full) signed languages than spoken languages?
Because sign languages require a sign language community to develop into a full language beyond homesign
What is one evidence that a Question-Answer Construction is NOT just a matrix-level question followed by an answer?
Non-manual marking. In a matrix wh-question, NMM is brow furrowing, but in QAC, the NMM is brow raising.
What are the two phonological processes that occur between FLY and AIRPLANE?
movement epenthesis
hold reduction
How is durational aspect represented in ASL? How would you represent it using non-linear morphology representation such as templatic morphology?
L M[arc] L
Tell me a difference between pre-nominal adjectives and post-nominal adjectives in ASL.
Pre-nominal adjectives have fixed ordering and allow idiomatic uses (my old friend); Post-nominal adjectives have free word order and only allow compositional interpretations
Why is it better to define Deaf people as an ethnic group rather than a group with a shared pathological property?
Deaf people have a shared language, values, customs, history, and community. Defining them as a pathological group is a form of audism.
What does it mean for role shifts to have Maximal Iconicity?
In a shifted context, all expressions (like facial expressions) are interpreted maximally iconic. ex. smiling while depicting an angry man is weird.