Focus on Sign Production

For those of you teaching yourself American Sign Language, or learning from a book, or using a book as reference for teaching a class of youngsters, here is some basic information about sign formation.

As you know, spoken language is understood to be a sequence of sounds. These sounds are produced with the lips, tongue, back of the throat, etc, and we recognize and produce different words by knowing where to place our lips or teeth (place of articulation) and the action to make the sound we want (manner of articulation). A couple of examples of places of articulation include:

• bilabial – words that are made with both lips (bat, mat)
• labiodental – words that are made with the lower lip and the teeth (fat, vat)
• interdental – words that are made with the tongue between the teeth (this, that)

Manner of articulation is what else needs to happen to make a sound. To make the B sound for the word ‘bat’ we make a kind of pop with our lips, but without puffing out air. If we puff out air, the B sound becomes a P sound. The M sound is also with both lips, but the air goes thru our nose.

For hearing individuals whose first language is English, the difference in these sounds is easily recognized. The purpose of this writing tho, is not a lesson in speech therapy or linguistics, but rather a way to demonstrate how signs in ASL are produced and to remind the new learner that although the sound for P differs only slightly in its production from B, the words they make are entirely different.

The production of American Sign Language signs includes:

• Handshape – specific shapes of the hand
• Movement – the specific handshape moves in a specific way
• Location – the specific handshape, that moves in a specific way, is located in a specific place on the body or in space
• Palm orientation – all the previous features must also include having the palm facing in a specific direction
• Non-manual markers – this a feature that doesn’t involve your hands at all but happens on your face or with your eyebrows or head.

As you watch people signing, or practice making signs, try to notice each of the features. What handshapes are being used? What is the movement, where is the location?

Then check back here in a week or two and we will look at each of these features in more detail. In the meantime, if you find this information helpful or you have questions about it, let me know by writing a comment or your question.