ds_0049_transcription_cap_01.mp4

ds_0049_transcription_cap_01.mp4

Relationships between transcription systems and sign language analysis

Liddell, Scott K., 1946-

American Sign Language Morphology

American Sign Language Grammar

American Sign Language Phonetics

In this presentation, Dr. Scott Liddell describes the differences between two ASL transcription systems-- the popular Stokoe notation system (1960) and the phonetic segmental system. The Stokoe system has been in use by many researchers but there are difficulties in describing the morphology of signs and noting how signs are changed or formed. There are three parts to a sign in Stokoe's system: location, handshape, and movement. It doesn't have the flexibility to recognize signs that do not fit this model. The advantages of using the phonetic segmental system is that it has the ability to note the changes in the formation of a sign in a compound sign, numbers and fingerspelled letters are recognized as signs due to movement-hold patterns, inflectional processes, verb agreement, and other grammatical features. He closes the presentation by suggesting there will be future models of sign structure to consider in analyzing ASL in more depth which is important for validating the legitimacy of ASL as a language.

National Technical Institute for the Deaf

Rochester Institute of Technology - RIT Libraries - RIT Archive Collections

1988

2018

moving image

mp4

VHS

56 minutes

American Sign Language

English

RITDSA.0049

Sculptures in the Air: An Accessible Online Video Repository of the American Sign Language (ASL) Poetry and Literature Collections

ASL Lecture Series DVDs

2018-2019 CLIR Grant-ASL Poetry and Literature

https://albert.rit.…

https://archivesspa…

New York - Rochester

Henrietta Campus

RIT Libraries makes materials from its collections available for educational and research purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. It is your responsibility to obtain permission from the copyright holder to publish or reproduce images in print or electronic form.

CC BY-NC-ND: Attribution NonCommercial NoDerivatives 4.0 International

AND SUSAN WILL INTRODUCE HIM,

BUT FIRST I JUST WANT
TO EXPLAIN

A FEW THINGS ABOUT
THE LECTURE SERIES

AND ABOUT THE DISCUSSION
THAT FOLLOWS.

AND WHILE I'M TALKING,
I'M GOING TO PASS AROUND

THIS BUNCH OF PAPERS,
AND IF YOU WANT NOTES...

[INDISTINCT]

I'VE BEEN A LITTLE REMISS.

I HAVE NOT YET SENT OUT THE
NOTES FROM THE LAST LECTURE.

THEY WILL BE COMING TO YOU
NEXT WEEK.

AND IF YOU WANT SOME OF
THOSE NOTES

AND DID NOT MAKE A REQUEST
LAST TIME

OR DID NOT ATTEND THE LECTURE,

YOU MIGHT WANT TO MAKE A SPECIAL
NOTE ON THIS LIST

ALSO REQUESTING THE NOTES
FROM CAROL PATTON'S TALK.

AS MOST OF YOU KNOW,

WE'VE BEEN PUTTING THIS ASL
LECTURE SERIES ON

SO THAT WE CAN BRING TO YOU
CURRENT THINKING AND RESEARCH

ON AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE.

AND WE WANT PEOPLE TO
COME AWAY WITH NEW IDEAS,

ASK QUESTIONS OF
THE RESEARCHERS,

AND BASICALLY CONTINUE ON
IN THEIR--

I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF
EXCITEMENT

ABOUT AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE,

AND WE WANT PEOPLE TO CONTINUE
FEELING EXCITED

AND CURIOUS AND REALLY
UNDERSTANDING

THE FULL IMPLICATIONS
OF THIS LANGUAGE.

THE COORDINATORS OF THIS SERIES
ARE KEITH CAGLE,

WHO'S SITTING HERE IN
THE BLUE SWEATER,

AND SUSAN FISCHER, WHO'S HERE IN
HER RUSTY RED BLOUSE,

AND I, IN BLACK.

AND AARON BRACE IS INTERPRETING
FOR ME.

SUSAN WILL EXPLAIN ALL THE
REVERSE INTERPRETING AND SO ON.

WE'VE SET IT UP SO THAT EVERYONE
CAN BENEFIT FROM INTERPRETERS,

BOTH HEARING AND DEAF MEMBERS
OF THE AUDIENCE.

LET'S SEE, WHAT ELSE?

I HAVE EXTRA BROCHURES IF
YOU WANT THEM.

THIS IS GOING TO BE BASICALLY
TWO LECTURES TODAY.

THE FIRST WILL BE GIVEN
IN ENGLISH,

AND THE SECOND IN AMERICAN
SIGN LANGUAGE.

AND WE'RE TRYING THIS FOR
THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR.

SO WHEN WE SEND OUT
THE EVALUATION FORMS,

BE HONEST ABOUT WHAT YOU THINK
OF THAT.

IT WAS A SUGGESTION--ACTUALLY,
MANY PEOPLE LAST YEAR

SUGGESTED THAT, AND THAT'S WHY
WE'RE DOING IT THIS YEAR.

AFTER THE SECOND LECTURE,
STARTING ABOUT 3:15 PROBABLY,

WE'RE GOING TO BE GOING TO
ROOM 3120.

AND IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE
IT IS,

STICK WITH ME OR SUSAN OR KEITH,

AND THERE WILL BE TEA AND COFFEE
AND COOKIES

AND A DISCUSSION WITH SCOTT,

WHICH CAN BE JUST SORT OF
RELAXED.

I THINK IT'LL BE FAR RANGING
AND RELAXED

AND DOESN'T HAVE TO BE
VERY SERIOUS.

SO COME ALONG AND WE'LL TALK
ABOUT HIS IDEAS

OR ANY OTHER QUESTIONS
YOU MIGHT HAVE.

SUSAN, WOULD YOU LIKE
TO INTRODUCE SCOTT? OK.

- DO I HAVE A CHOICE?

NO, YOU HAVE NO CHOICE.

YOU WANT TO INTERPRET
FOR ME?

OK. REALLY? OH, OK.

IT IS MY VERY GREAT PLEASURE

TO INTRODUCE SCOTT LIDDELL
TO YOU.

SCOTT, MEG, SCOTT.

SCOTT COMES HERE IMMEDIATELY
FROM GALLAUDET COLLEGE,

WHICH I FOUND OUT AT LUNCH
TODAY,

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME
IN HIS LIFE

HE'S LIVED ON THE EAST COAST.

I HOPE HE ENJOYS IT AND WILL
CONTINUE DOING SO,

SO THAT HE WILL BE CLOSE
TO WHERE WE ARE.

SCOTT GOT HIS PhD IN LINGUISTICS
FROM UC SAN DIEGO

WHERE HE DID VERY IMPORTANT
AND GROUNDBREAKING WORK

ON AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE
SYNTAX,

WORKED ON RELATIVE CLAUSES
AND ON GENERALLY

NON-MANUAL MARKERS FOR SYNTAX.

IN THE LAST FEW YEARS,

HOWEVER, HE HAS BEEN
CONCENTRATING ON ASL PHONOLOGY,

THE SUBLEXICAL STRUCTURE
OF ASL,

AND HAS DEVELOPED AN IMPORTANT
NEW TOOL

FOR LINGUISTS, RESEARCHERS,

AND, I HOPE, SIGN LANGUAGE
USERS

THAT CAN GIVE US INSIGHTS
INTO ASL

THAT MAYBE OTHER SYSTEMS
CANNOT.

AND IT'S PRECISELY ABOUT THAT
THAT HE'S GOING TO TALK

TO US TODAY, AMONG
OTHER THINGS.

SO PLEASE WELCOME SCOTT.

[APPLAUSE]

THANK YOU.

I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY MONTHS
AGO IT WAS THAT SUSAN CALLED ME,

SAID TODAY SHE'S LIKE ME TO TALK
ABOUT SOMETHING HERE.

AND WE TALKED FOR A WHILE
ABOUT WHAT

AND EVENTUALLY SETTLED ON
THIS TOPIC,

WHICH IS WHAT IS THE
RELATIONSHIP

BETWEEN TRANSCRIPTION SYSTEMS
AND ANALYSIS

AND/OR THEORY?

AND SO SINCE THAT'S A TOPIC
I'VE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH

FOR ABOUT THE LAST 5 YEARS,

IT SEEMED LIKE A GOOD ONE
TO TALK ABOUT.

IT'S NOT AN EASY ONE,
BUT IT'S KIND OF FUN.

AND ESPECIALLY THESE DAYS,
IT'S REAL EXCITING.

SO WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO
IS TALK ABOUT THE WAY

TRANSCRIPTION SYSTEMS
HAVE EVOLVED,

WHAT KIND OF TRANSCRIPTION
SYSTEM I'M USING RIGHT NOW,

AND MAYBE GET SOME FEEDBACK
FROM YOU

OR BOUNCE SOME IDEAS OFF YOU
ABOUT AS TO

HOW THAT AFFECTS THE WAY
YOU ANALYZE SIGNS.

FIRST, LET ME JUST TALK
A LITTLE BIT

ABOUT WHY ANYBODY WOULD WANT
TO ANALYZE

AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE.

THERE ARE LOTS OF PEOPLE
IN LINGUISTICS

WHO WILL ANALYZE ANY LANGUAGE

JUST BECAUSE IT'S AN INTERESTING
THING TO DO,

IT'S A REAL CHALLENGE,

AND IT BUILDS UP A STOREHOUSE
OF KNOWLEDGE

ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT
LANGUAGES OF THE WORLD.

BUT IN THE CASE OF AMERICAN
SIGN LANGUAGE,

IT'S HAD SOME MORE PRACTICAL
BENEFITS.

FOR EXAMPLE,

WHEN I FIRST STARTED WORKING
ON AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE,

WHICH WAS ABOUT 1974,

PEOPLE WERE WAITING FOR
AN ANNOUNCEMENT

TO COME FROM SOMEBODY

THAT AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE
WAS REALLY A LANGUAGE.

I REMEMBER PEOPLE WOULD BE
WRITING LETTERS TO THE LAB,

SAYING, "WHEN IS AN ANNOUNCEMENT
GOING TO BE MADE

THAT AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE
REALLY IS A LANGUAGE?"

AND FORTUNATELY, WE'VE COME
PAST THOSE DAYS,

BUT THERE'S BEEN A REAL NICE
EFFECT FROM THAT,

AND THAT IS THE DEMONSTRATION
BY LINGUISTS

THAT AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE
FUNCTIONS--

HAS THE STRUCTURAL PROPERTIES
OF SPOKEN LANGUAGES.

AS A DEMONSTRATION,
THE DEAF PEOPLE WHO KNOW
AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE

ALREADY HAVE A LANGUAGE

AND THAT IF THEY LEARN ENGLISH,

THAT'S A SECOND LANGUAGE

IN ADDITION TO THE FIRST
LANGUAGE.

SO IT CAUSES EDUCATORS TO
RETHINK THEIR IDEAS

ABOUT WHAT DEAF PEOPLE KNOW

AND THE USE OF LANGUAGE
IN THE CLASSROOM AND SO ON.

ANOTHER REASON PEOPLE ARE
INTERESTED IN SIGN LANGUAGE

IS THEY WANT TO KNOW
WHAT ARE THE UNIVERSALS
ABOUT SIGN LANGUAGE.

AND...

AS LONG AS ONLY SPOKEN LANGUAGES
WERE STUDIED,

UNIVERSALS WERE UNIVERSALS
OF SPOKEN LANGUAGES,

BUT AS SOON AS SIGN LANGUAGES
WERE BROUGHT INTO THE PICTURE,

ONE OF THE GOALS IS TO BE ABLE
TO SEPARATE OUT

WHAT THINGS ARE UNIVERSAL
TO LANGUAGE

AS OPPOSED TO BYPRODUCTS
OF USING THE VOCAL TRACK

OR BYPRODUCTS OF USING
THE HANDS AND BODY

TO PRODUCE A LANGUAGE.

SO ANYWAY, THIS EFFORT AT
DESCRIBING SIGNS

HAS LED TO THE PROBLEM OF,
HOW DO YOU WRITE THEM DOWN?

YOU CAN'T TAKE PICTURES
OF ALL OF THEM.

WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT A SIGN,
YOU CAN'T JUST HOLD IT UP

AND SAY, "THIS ONE."

THERE HAS TO BE SOME WAY
OF WRITING THAT DOWN.

AND THE FIRST PERSON TO DO THAT
WAS BILL STOKOE

IN A BOOK HE PUBLISHED IN 1960

CALLED "SIGN LANGUAGE
STRUCTURE."

AND IN THAT BOOK, HE DEVELOPED
A NOTATION SYSTEM,

AND REALLY IT'S MORE THAN
A NOTATION SYSTEM,

IT'S A THEORY OF SIGN STRUCTURE.

AND IN THAT SYSTEM,

HE TALKS ABOUT ALL SIGNS
HAVING 3 PARTS.

AND HE CALLED THEM TAB,

DEZ, AND SIG.

AND INTERPRETED INTO ENGLISH,

THAT MEANS LOCATION,
HANDSHAPE, AND MOVEMENT.

OK, SO HE DIVIDED EVERY SIGN
INTO A LOCATION,

A HANDSHAPE, AND A MOVEMENT

AND WITH NO SEGMENTAL STRUCTURE.

AND WHAT I MEAN BY
SEGMENTAL STRUCTURE

ARE IN SPOKEN LANGUAGES,

WORDS ARE PUT TOGETHER
THROUGH COMBINATIONS

OF CONSONANTS AND VOWELS,

AND EACH INDIVIDUAL CONSONANT
OR VOWEL IS A SEGMENT.

AND YOU PUT 3 SEGMENTS TOGETHER
LIKE C-A-T,

IN ENGLISH, THOSE 3 SEGMENTS
IN THAT ORDER

PRODUCE THE ENGLISH WORD
CAT.

AND BILL STOKOE'S MODEL OF
SIGN STRUCTURE

DID NOT HAVE ANY SEGMENTS
IN IT.

IT HAD 3 PARTS,

BUT THE PARTS WERE NOT
SEGMENTALLY ORGANIZED.

THEY WERE ORGANIZED
SIMULTANEOUSLY

SO THAT EVERY SIGN HAD
SIMPLY A BUNDLE OF 3 PARTS.

THAT'S ONE ON THE HANDOUT.

I GUESS I CAN ALSO PUT IT
ON THE OVERHEAD.

FIND OUT HOW TO TURN IT ON.

OK, SO...

EACH SIGN HAS A TAB,
WHICH IS A LOCATION,

A DEZ, WHICH IS A HANDSHAPE,

AND A SIG, WHICH IS
A MOVEMENT.

AND I TRANSLATED THAT INTO
THE BOX ON THE RIGHT HERE

TO SHOW THAT ANOTHER WAY
OF WRITING THAT

IS JUST TO PUT ALL THAT STUFF
IN A BOX

AND SAY EVERY SIGN HAS LOCATION,
HANDSHAPE, AND MOVEMENT.

AND THE FACT THAT THEY'RE
WRITTEN ONE AFTER THE OTHER HERE

IS OF NO IMPORTANCE AT ALL.

IT'S JUST A CONVENTION OF
WRITING ONE

FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD,
BUT THERE'S NO ORDERING THERE.

OK, SO...

LET'S GO WRITE STRAIGHT
TO NUMBER TWO

ON THE HANDOUT, THEN,

WHERE I'VE TRANSCRIBED
THE SIGN "GOOD" IN 2A.

AND THAT U-SHAPED SYMBOL
IS STOKOE'S SYMBOL FOR THE CHIN,

SO WHAT HE SAYS IS THE LOCATION
FOR THAT SIGN IS THE CHIN.

THIS PART THAT I'LL
UNDERLINE HERE...

WHOOPS. I WON'T UNDERLINE

BECAUSE NOTHING'S COMING
OUT OF THE PEN.

I'LL POINT TO IT, RIGHT THERE.

THIS PART IS A "B" HAND

WITH THE PALM FACING
TOWARD THE BOTTOM.

AND THEN THIS LAST SYMBOL
RIGHT UP HERE

MEANS MOVE AWAY FROM THE BODY.

SO IF YOU PUT THAT ALL TOGETHER,

YOU GET CHIN AS THE LOCATION,

HAND ALL THE WAY DOWN, INCLUDING
THE ELBOW,

AS THE THING THAT IS GOING
TO ACT,

AND THEN MOVING AWAY FROM
THE CHIN,

YOU GET THE SIGN "GOOD."

SO THAT'S HOW WE TRANSCRIBE
THE SIGN "GOOD."

OK, AND IT CONSISTED
OF THOSE 3 PARTS.

AND THE CHIN DOESN'T
COME FIRST

AND THE HAND COME LAST.

ALL THOSE 3 PARTS ARE
ORGANIZED TOGETHER.

- HOW DO YOU KNOW WHICH WAY
THE HAND IS FACING?

THE ONLY THING THAT HE
DESIGNATED AS PART OF HIS SYSTEM

IS THIS SYMBOL RIGHT THERE

THAT LOOKS LIKE A "T."

PUTS THE PALM TOWARDS THE CHIN.

BUT IT DOES NOT DISTINGUISH
BETWEEN THIS OR THAT.

IN THAT SYSTEM, IT COULD BE
EITHER ONE OF THOSE

OR ANYTHING...

BUT BASICALLY WHAT IT DOES
DISTINGUISH IS BETWEEN

THAT AND THAT.

SO ANYWAY, THAT'S A REAL QUICK
DESCRIPTION

OF HOW HIS SYSTEM
DESCRIBED SIGNS.

HE HAD A SPECIFIC LIST
OF LOCATIONS,

SAID THESE ARE THE LOCATIONS
AT WHICH A SIGN CAN BE MADE,

A SPECIFIC LIST OF HANDSHAPES,

THESE ARE THE HANDSHAPES THAT
CAN BE USED

IN THE PRODUCTION OF A SIGN,

AND A SPECIFIC LIST
OF MOVEMENTS.

AND ALL SIGNS THEN
IN THAT SYSTEM

ARE A COMBINATION OF ONE ITEM ON
THAT LIST

OF LOCATIONS, AN ITEM FROM
THE HANDSHAPE,

ITEM FROM THE MOVEMENT.

THAT'S NOT EXACTLY TRUE,

BUT I MEAN, THAT'S WHAT
THE THEORY SAYS.

THERE ARE SOME EXCEPTIONAL WAYS
THAT THAT'S ACTUALLY DONE

IN PRACTICE.

SO ANYWAY, THAT IS THE BASIS
FOR HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS.

AND WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO

IS GO THROUGH SOME--
BASICALLY 3 ISSUES

AND TALK ABOUT HOW THOSE ISSUES
CAN BE DEALT WITH

USING STOKOE'S MODEL OF
SIGN STRUCTURE,

THEN INTRODUCE A SEGMENTAL MODEL
OF SIGN STRUCTURE

AND TALK ABOUT THE SAME ISSUES
THAT ARE DEALT WITH IN THAT

IN A PHONETIC SYSTEM
DESCRIPTION.

AND FINALLY INTRODUCE A MORE
PHONEMIC DESCRIPTION SYSTEM,

TALK ABOUT HOW THE SAME
3 ISSUES ARE DEALT WITH

IN THAT SYSTEM
OF TRANSCRIPTION.

AND YOU GET VERY DIFFERENT
RESULTS

DEPENDING ON HOW YOU
TRANSCRIBE THE SIGNS.

OK, THE 3 ISSUES THAT I'VE
DECIDED TO TALK ABOUT

ARE, FIRST OF ALL,
WHAT IS A SIGN?

IT'S A FAIRLY BASIC ISSUE.

IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT
A SIGN LANGUAGE,

YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO TELL
SIGNS FROM NON-SIGNS.

WHAT SORT OF PROCESS PRODUCES
COMPOUND SIGNS?

WHEREAS ASL MAKES COMPOUND
SIGNS LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE,

WE'LL GET TO IT ON NUMBER TWO
ON THE HANDOUT,

BUT YOU HAVE THE SIGN "GOOD"
LIKE THIS,

THE SIGN "NIGHT,"
AND THE COMPOUND "GOOD NIGHT."

AND ONE ISSUE I WANT TO
TALK ABOUT IS

WHAT SORT OF PROCESS PRODUCES
COMPOUNDS

FROM THOSE SEPARATE SIGNS.

AND THE THIRD ISSUE I WANT
TO TALK ABOUT IS,

MAY NOT EVEN SEEM LIKE
AN ISSUE,

BUT IT WILL BECOME AN ISSUE
I THINK AS WE GO ALONG,

AND THAT IS WHAT SORT OF
PROCESS PRODUCES THIS SIGN--

300?

OK, YOU MAY NOT HAVE THOUGHT

ABOUT A QUESTION LIKE THAT
BEFORE,

BUT THAT'S THE KIND OF THING
THAT I ENJOY.

SO THAT'S WHY I BROUGHT IT
HERE TODAY.

SO THOSE ARE THE 3 ISSUES--

WHAT IS A SIGN, HOW ARE
COMPOUNDS FORMED,

AND WHERE DOES 300
COME FROM.

OK.

FIRST LET ME SAY SOME THINGS
IN GENERAL ABOUT

STOKOE'S SYSTEM OF SIGN
REPRESENTATION.

IT WAS PUBLISHED IN 1960,

DEVELOPED SOMETHING PRIOR
TO THAT.

AND FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS

HAD BASICALLY UNIVERSAL
ACCEPTANCE.

I THINK IT'S FAIR TO SAY
THAT IT WAS

ADOPTED ALL OVER THE WORLD.

PEOPLE INTERESTED IN
SIGN LANGUAGE,

THEY MIGHT HAVE TO MODIFY IT.

THEY MIGHT HAVE TO ADD NEW
SYMBOLS AND SO ON,

BUT THE BASIC CONCEPTION OF
SIGNS BEING ORGANIZED THAT WAY

WAS NOT DISPUTED.

AND...

WHAT'S INTERESTING TO ME IS

THAT IN SPITE OF THAT,

IN SPITE OF THE FACT OF HOW
UNIVERSALLY IT WAS ACCEPTED,

WHEN YOU LOOKED AT PEOPLE'S
RESEARCH

WHO WERE WORKING ON,
LIKE FOR EXAMPLE,

PROBLEMS IN MORPHOLOGY
OR PROBLEMS IN PHONOLOGY,

AND YOU LOOKED AT THAT RESEARCH

AND SEE TO WHAT EXTENT THE
NOTATION SYSTEM WAS MADE USE OF,

YOU FIND THAT IT WAS ALMOST
TOTALLY IGNORED.

IT WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO
FIND ANY OF THAT NOTATION

IN PAPERS DEALING, FOR EXAMPLE,
WITH ASL MORPHOLOGY.

AND THE REASON--I'LL GET
TO A REASON,

BUT IT SEEMED TO ME THAT
THE REASON IS THAT

ALTHOUGH IT WAS EASY TO FIND
THOSE 3 PARTS FOR EACH SIGNS,

THE SYSTEM WAS NOT
PARTICULARLY HELPFUL

AT DESCRIBING GRAMMATICAL
PROCESSES--

THE WAY SIGNS CHANGE, THE WAY
SIGNS GET FORMED, AND SO ON.

IN FACT, IF YOU LOOK AT

KLIMA AND BELLUGI'S BOOK ON
THE SIGNS OF LANGUAGE,

WHICH HAS EXTENSIVE DESCRIPTIONS
OF COMPOUNDING,

ALL KINDS OF INFLECTIONAL
PROCESSES,

VERB AGREEMENT AND SO ON,

I'VE LOOKED THROUGH
THE ENTIRE BOOK

TRYING TO FIND A SINGLE
STOKOE NOTATION,

AND I DON'T BELIEVE--UNLESS
I MISSED SOMETHING,

I DON'T BELIEVE THERE IS
EVEN A SINGLE SIGN NOTATED

IN THIS NOTATION SYSTEM
IN THE WHOLE BOOK.

AND SO, YOU KNOW,
ON THE ONE HAND,

IT WAS VERY EASY TO LEARN
AND EASY TO DESCRIBE SIGNS

USING THIS SYSTEM,
BUT ON THE OTHER HAND,

WHEN IT GOT DOWN TO DESCRIBING
GRAMMATICAL PROCESSES,

THE SYSTEM DIDN'T LEND ITSELF

TO BEING ABLE TO DESCRIBE
THOSE KIND OF PROCESSES.

OK, SO LET'S GET DOWN TO
THOSE 3 QUESTIONS.

THE FIRST ONE,
WHAT IS A SIGN?

WELL, IN THE STOKOE MODEL,
A SIGN IS ANYTHING

THAT HAS THOSE 3 PARTS.

IF SOMETHING IS GONNA
BE A SIGN,

IT HAS TO CONSIST OF ONE OF
THOSE MOVEMENTS,

ONE OF THOSE HANDSHAPES,
AND ONE OF THOSE LOCATIONS

ON THOSE LISTS.

OK. SO...

THERE ARE LOTS OF THINGS I WOULD
LIKE TO CALL SIGNS,

AND I THINK MOST EVERYBODY WOULD
LIKE TO CALL SIGNS,

THAT COULDN'T BE CALLED SIGNS

IN STOKOE'S SYSTEM.

FOR EXAMPLE, THE NUMBER 3.

IF SOMEBODY SAYS,
"HOW OLD IS"--

OR, "HOW MANY THINGS ARE THERE?"

THE ANSWER IS 3,
AND I DO THAT

TO ANSWER THE QUESTION 3,

THEN FOLLOWING THE STOKOE
SYSTEM OF NOTATION,

I DID NOT PRODUCE A SIGN.

AND THE REASON I DID NOT
PRODUCE A SIGN

IS BECAUSE THERE WAS
NO MOVEMENT.

OK, THERE WAS A HANDSHAPE,

WHICH IS ONE OF HIS HANDSHAPES,

AND THE HANDSHAPE WAS
OUT OF PLACE,

BUT IT DIDN'T DO ANYTHING.

AND THE FACT THAT IT DIDN'T
DO ANYTHING

MADE IT BE TREATED
AS A NON SIGN.

OK, SO BASICALLY THE SIGNS
ONE THROUGH NINE,

SINCE THEY DON'T DO ANYTHING
ALL THE WAY UP TO NINE,

WERE NOT SIGNS.

AND THEN ASL INCORPORATED
A SIGN 10

BECAUSE IT DOES SOMETHING.

SO 10 IS A SIGN BECAUSE
IT DOES SOMETHING,

11 IS A SIGN BECAUSE
IT DOES SOMETHING,

12 IS A SIGN BECAUSE
IT DOES SOMETHING.

AND YOU HAVE A SIMILAR SITUATION
WITH FINGERSPELLING.

"A" THROUGH "I" WERE NOT SIGNS

BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T DO ANYTHING.

JUST A SECOND.

"J" WAS A SIGN BECAUSE
IT MOVES.

"K" THROUGH "Y" WERE NOT SIGNS,

BUT "Z" WAS A SIGN BECAUSE
IT MOVED.

OK. NOW LET ME TAKE
YOUR QUESTION.

- CURIOUS, THE WAY SOME PEOPLE
SIGN 6, 7, 8, AND 9,

THEY MOVE THEIR FINGERS.

NOW THAT WOULD BE A SIGN.

IF IT MOVED, IT WOULD BE
A SIGN.

IF IT DIDN'T MOVE,
IT WOULDN'T BE A SIGN.

AND THAT IS ACCORDING
TO STOKOE'S CONCEPTION

OF WHAT A SIGN IS.

ACCORDING TO COMMON SENSE,

EVERYONE WOULD AGREE THAT
ALL THOSE ARE SIGNS,

BUT THE SYSTEM IMPOSED THAT
RESTRICTION

AND SAID IF IT DOESN'T MOVE,
IT'S NOT A SIGN.

OK?

SO THERE WERE THINGS THAT I
WOULD LIKE TO CALL SIGNS,

LIKE THE MANUAL ALPHABET.

I LIKE TO CALL EVERY ONE
OF THOSE A SIGN.

I LIKE TO CALL "A" A SIGN,
"B" A SIGN, "C" A SIGN, "D."

AND ALL THE NUMBERS.

I LIKE TO CALL ALL OF
THOSE SIGNS, TOO,

IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT
THEY DON'T MOVE.

OK.

BUT THE SYSTEM SAYS, NO,
YOU CAN'T DO THAT,

IT DOESN'T MOVE.

OK. THE NEXT QUESTION IS
THE QUESTION OF COMPOUNDS,

AND THAT'S WHAT YOU'VE SEEN AS
NUMBER TWO ON THE HANDOUT

OR NUMBER TWO ON THE OVERHEAD.

I'VE TRANSCRIBED--WE'VE GONE
THROUGH THE TRANSCRIPTION

OF "GOOD."

THE TRANSCRIPTION OF "NIGHT"
SHOWS TWO "B" HANDS.

THERE'S THE FIRST "B" HAND,
SECOND "B" HAND,

AND THEN THAT "X" THERE
MEANS CONTACT.

WE HAVE TWO "B" HANDS
AND THEN A CONTACT

MAKES THE SIGN "NIGHT" IN
THE SYSTEM OF NOTATION.

OK?

NOW, LET ME MAKE THE TWO SIGNS
SEPARATELY FOR YOU

AND THEN THE COMPOUND

AND SEE IF ALL OF STOKOE'S PARTS
ARE STILL THERE.

OK, SO THE SIGN "GOOD"
LOOKS LIKE THIS,

THE SIGN "NIGHT" LIKE THAT.

NOW "GOOD NIGHT" LOOKS LIKE
THAT.

AND ALL THE PARTS ARE
STILL THERE.

THERE'S STILL A "B" HAND
AT THE CHIN

THAT MOVES AWAY.

THERE'S STILL ANOTHER
"B" HAND THERE

THAT THIS OTHER HAND MOVES
TOWARDS AND MAKES CONTACT.

ALL THE PARTS ARE STILL THERE
IN THIS SYSTEM.

SO IN STOKOE'S DESCRIPTION OF
HOW COMPOUNDS ARE FORMED,

IT'S A LOT LIKE THE WAY ENGLISH
COMPOUNDS ARE FORMED.

YOU JUST PUT TWO WORDS TOGETHER
AND PRONOUNCE THEM AS ONE.

AND BUT ALL OF STOKOE'S PARTS
ARE STILL THERE,

SO THERE'S NOTHING MISSING.

SO IT COMES OUT LOOKING LIKE

THE WAY ENGLISH COMPOUNDS
ARE FORMED,

WHERE YOU HAVE ONE WORD
AND ANOTHER WORD

AND JUST PUT THEM TOGETHER.

THAT FORMS AN ENGLISH COMPOUND.

BUT IF YOU LOOK FOR
THE SIGN "GOOD"--

LET ME SIGN "GOOD NIGHT,"

AND WHEN I DO THAT, YOU TRY TO
FIND THE SIGN "GOOD."

I DON'T THINK ANY OF YOU SAW
THE SIGN "GOOD" IN THERE.

- YOUR WRIST MOVED.

- THE WAY YOUR HAND MOVED,
YOUR WRIST MOVED...

WHEN YOU SIGNED "GOOD NIGHT."

OK, BUT I DIDN'T DO THIS.

BUT I DIDN'T DO THIS.
GOOD NIGHT.

I WENT STRAIGHT FROM THE CHIN
TO THE OTHER HAND.

OK, BUT THE NOTATION SYSTEM,

HERE'S STOKOE'S TRANSCRIPTION

OF THE COMPOUND "GOOD NIGHT"
OVER HERE.

YOU HAVE TO WRITE DOWN
EVERYTHING

BECAUSE IT'S ALL THERE.

THE "B" HAND IS STILL THERE,
THE CHIN IS STILL THERE,

ALL THE PARTS ARE STILL THERE.

SO YOU HAVE TO WRITE IT DOWN
AS IF THOSE TWO PARTS

WERE JUST THE SAME
BUT SIDE BY SIDE.

BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT A COMPOUND
AS OPPOSED TO

THE INDIVIDUAL SIGNS, YOU NOTICE
THERE'S A BIG DIFFERENCE

BETWEEN THOSE SIGNS.

AND, AGAIN, LET ME TALK A LITTLE
BIT ABOUT KLIMA AND BELLUGI'S

WORK ON COMPOUNDS
BECAUSE THEY DID A LOT

OF WORK ON COMPOUNDING,

AND THEY NOTICED ALL THOSE
KIND OF CHANGES

I JUST SHOWED YOU IN A SIGN
LIKE "GOOD NIGHT."

BUT SINCE THEY HAD ADOPTED
STOKOE'S NOTATION SYSTEM,

THERE WAS NO WAY TO DESCRIBE
THOSE DIFFERENCES

USING THE NOTATION SYSTEM.

SO BASICALLY WHAT THEY
HAD TO SAY,

WITHOUT USING ANY NOTATION
AT ALL,

WAS SAY, WELL,
THESE SIGNS CHANGE,

THEY SHORTEN,
THEY GET SMOOTHER,

AND DESCRIBE IT IN TERMS
LIKE THAT,

BUT UNABLE USING THAT
NOTATION SYSTEM

TO TALK ABOUT ANY DIFFERENCE
IN THE STRUCTURE

OF THE COMPOUND AS OPPOSED
TO THE STRUCTURE

OF THE SIGNS AS THEY EXIST
OUTSIDE OF THAT COMPOUND.

OK, THE...

SO ANYWAY, IN STOKOE'S SYSTEM,
COMPOUNDING IS SIMPLY

PUTTING TWO SIGNS TOGETHER.

AND THAT'S THE WAY THE
TRANSCRIPTION SYSTEM TREATS IT,

AND IT'S THE WAY
THE TRANSCRIPTION SYSTEM

HAS TO TREAT IT.

OK.

THE THIRD PROBLEM IS--

THE THIRD QUESTION IS 300.

AND THAT ONE...

IS NOT EASY TO DEAL WITH
IN STOKOE'S SYSTEM

BECAUSE AS YOU SEE IN THE NOTE
I PUT UNDER 3A HERE,

3 WASN'T EVEN A SIGN
IN STOKOE'S SYSTEM.

SO PRESUMABLY, 300 COMES FROM
THE SIGN 3 AND SOMETHING ELSE,

BUT WHEN YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE
A SIGN 3,

IT'S HARD TO TALK ABOUT HOW YOU
PRODUCE THE SIGN "300"

WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING
TO PRODUCE IT FROM.

SO IT'S PROBLEMATIC DEALING
WITH THIS KIND OF A SYSTEM
NOTATION

WHEN, BY DEFINITION, ONE OF
THE PARTS YOU'RE TRYING

TO MAKE A SIGN OUT OF
IS NOT EVEN A SIGN.

SO I'LL DEAL WITH 300 AS I GET
INTO THESE OTHER SYSTEMS.

OK, WHICH IS WHAT IT'S
TIME TO DO NOW.

LET ME TALK BRIEFLY NOW
ABOUT A SEGMENTAL SYSTEM

OF SIGN NOTATION.

THIS STARTED IN--THE IDEA
THAT SIGNS WERE SEGMENTED

IS SOMETHING I FIRST TALKED
ABOUT IN '82

AT A LINGUISTIC SOCIETY
OF AMERICA MEETING--

AMERICA MEETING.

AND THAT IS THE IDEA THAT SIGNS

CAN BE BROKEN UP INTO SEGMENTS
JUST THE SAME WAY

THAT SPOKEN WORDS CAN BE
BROKEN UP INTO SEGMENTS.

AND THE BASIC IDEA IS THAT

THE SEGMENTATION IS DONE
ON THE BASIS

OF THE WAY THE HAND MOVES
OR DOES NOT MOVE.

SO THE TWO BASIC UNITS, THE TWO
BASIC KINDS OF SEGMENTS

THAT SIGNS ARE BROKEN INTO
ARE MOVEMENTS AND WHOLES.

SO GOING BACK AND TALKING
ABOUT A SIGN LIKE...

SOMETHING UP THERE? NO.

LIKE A SIGN LIKE "THINK."

THE SIGN "THINK" FIRST MOVES
TOWARDS THE FOREHEAD,

AND THEN ONCE IT GETS TO
THE FOREHEAD IT STOPS.

AND THE MOVING PART I CALL
A MOVEMENT,

THE STOPPING PART I CALL
A WHOLE.

SO THE SIGN "THINK" THEN
CONSISTS A MOVEMENT AND A WHOLE.

OK, SIMILAR TO THE SIGN "NO"

CONSISTS OF A MOVEMENT
FOLLOWED BY A WHOLE.

AND INITIALLY,

THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION
ABOUT, WELL,

IF IT DIDN'T STOP, IT WOULD GO
RIGHT THROUGH THE SKULL.

OF COURSE IT HAS TO STOP.

IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH
SEGMENTATION.

IT HAS TO STOP BECAUSE THERE'S
A BARRIER.

BUT YOU CAN MAKE SIGNS
WITHOUT TOUCHING THE BODY.

IN FACT, YOU CAN MAKE
THE SIGN "NO"

WITHOUT TOUCHING THE BODY.

AND WHEN YOU DO THAT,
IT MOVES AND IT STOPS,

JUST LIKE THIS--NO.

SO EVEN IF IT DOESN'T
TOUCH THE BODY,

IT STILL MOVES, AND THEN
IT HOLDS.

SO THE IDEA IS THAT SIGNS
MOVE AND STOP

BECAUSE THAT'S PART OF
THEIR STRUCTURE,

AND THAT THOSE SEQUENCED
THINGS,

THOSE SEGMENTS, ARE WHAT
BUILD SIGNS.

AHEM.

SO SOME MORE EXAMPLES.

A SIGN LIKE "POWER" IS HOLD,
MOVEMENT, HOLD.

HOLD INITIALLY HERE,
THEN A MOVEMENT,

AND THEN A HOLD.

A SIGN LIKE "TIE" IS MOVEMENT,
HOLD, MOVEMENT, HOLD.

SO IT MOVES, HOLDS, MOVES,
HOLDS.

CAN I GET A LITTLE MORE
OF A PAUSE

BETWEEN YOUR DESCRIPTION
AND YOUR DEMONSTRATION?

OK. SO THE SIGN "TIE"

MOVES...

HOLDS...

MOVES, HOLDS.

OK?

AND AN EVEN LONGER SIGN
IN TERMS OF SEGMENTS

IS THE SIGN "JUMP,"

WHICH IS HOLD, MOVEMENT,
HOLD, MOVEMENT, HOLD.

SO THERE'S A HOLD HERE,

THEN A MOVEMENT, HOLD,

MOVEMENT, HOLD.

OK?

AND NOW, THE BIG DIFFERENCE
NOW BETWEEN STOKOE'S DESCRIPTION

AND THIS PHONETIC, SEGMENTAL
MODEL OF SIGN STRUCTURE

IS THAT EACH SEGMENT CONSISTS
OF PARTS

LIKE STOKOE WAS TALKING ABOUT.

EACH SEGMENT HAS A HANDSHAPE,

EACH SEGMENT HAS A LOCATION,

EACH SEGMENT HAS SOME KIND OF
MOVEMENT OR HOLD.

EACH SEGMENT ORIENTS THE HAND
IN A PARTICULAR WAY.

SO IT'S NOT LIKE BRAND NEW
PARTS WERE CREATED,

IT'S MORE OF A REORGANIZATION

OF THE PARTS THAT STOKOE
DEVELOPED

IN TALKING ABOUT STRUCTURE
OF SIGN.

BUT THAT PARTICULAR...

WHEN IT FIRST INTRODUCED
THE IDEA OF SEGMENTS,

THE SEGMENTS WERE ALL ONE
BUNDLE OF FEATURES,

AND THAT IDEA SIMPLY WON'T WORK.

OK, AND LET ME EXPLAIN
WITH A QUICK EXAMPLE

WHY THAT WON'T WORK.

AND AGAIN, I'LL USE ANOTHER
COMPOUND TO TALK ABOUT

WHY THAT IDEA WON'T WORK.

THE SIGN "SLEEP," IF YOU'RE
GONNA TALK ABOUT

THE SIGN "SLEEP,"

I WOULD DESCRIBE IT AS
A MOVEMENT HOLD,

LIKE THIS.

OK. FIRST THE HAND MOVES,
THEN IT HOLDS.

NOW, THE HANDSHAPE THAT IT
BEGINS WITH LOOKS LIKE THIS.

AND THE HANDSHAPE THAT IT ENDS
WITH LOOKS LIKE THAT.

SO IF YOU'RE SAYING THAT
ALL THOSE FEATURES

BELONGED IN EITHER ONE SEGMENT
OR THE OTHER,

THEN YOU'D HAVE TO SAY THAT
THAT HANDSHAPE

BELONGED IN THE FIRST SEGMENT,

THAT HANDSHAPE BELONGED IN
THE SECOND SEGMENT.

OK?

NOW, THE INTERESTING THING
ABOUT THAT

IS THAT THIS SIGN BECOMES PART
OF A COMPOUND IN "OVERSLEEP."

THAT.

AND THAT HOLD, THE FINAL HOLD,
IN "SLEEP," DISAPPEARS.

IT DOES NOT DO THIS.

OK, THE HOLD DISAPPEARS.

BUT THAT HANDSHAPE
AND THAT LOCATION

AND THAT CONFIGURATION
DON'T DISAPPEAR.

THEY'RE STILL PART OF
THAT COMPOUND.

THE HAND STILL COMES TO THAT
CONFIGURATION AT THAT PLACE

IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT THERE
IS NO HOLD THERE.

SO THIS REQUIRED A CHANGE
IN THE WAY

OF DESCRIBING THE SIGNS,

BECAUSE IT'S--YOU CAN'T
DELETE A SEGMENT

AND HAVE PART OF IT STAY THERE.

IF YOU'RE GONNA DELETE
SOMETHING, IT'S GONE.

OK, WELL, WHAT THIS REQUIRED
WAS THE BORROWING

FROM SPOKEN LANGUAGE THE THEORY
OF AUTO SEGMENTAL PHONOLOGY.

AND LET ME GO INTO
EXAMPLE 4 HERE,

WHICH IS AN EXAMPLE FROM
A SPOKEN LANGUAGE.

THIS IS "TIE,"

TO TALK ABOUT A SIMILAR KIND
OF PHENOMENON

AND HOW THAT IS TREATED
IN AUTO SEGMENTAL PHONOLOGY.

[CLEARS THROAT]

OK, "TIE" HAS 5 TONES--

LOW, MID, HIGH,

RISING, AND FALLING.

OK, IF THERE ARE NO MARKS
ON THE WORD,

THEN IT'S A MID TONE.

SO THIS IS MID TONE, HIGH TONE,
MID TONE.

AND THAT'S THE WAY
YOU ASK THE QUESTION,

ARE YOU GOING OR NOT?

YOU'D SAY BYE RUH YOUNG.

BYE YOUNG.

SO BYE IS A MID TONE,
RUH, HIGH TONE,

YOUNG MID TONE AGAIN.

BYE RUH YOUNG.

OK? NOW WHAT'S INTERESTING
ABOUT THIS IS

YOU CAN ELIMINATE THAT WORD
"OR."

IN RAPID CONVERSATION,

THE WORD "OR" CAN BE TOTALLY
LOST.

AND WHAT YOU SAY INSTEAD IS
BYE YOUNG.

OK, AND THE INTERESTING THING
ABOUT THAT EXAMPLE

IS THIS--EVEN THOUGH THE WORD
"OR" IS LOST,

THE RISING TONE ISN'T.

SO INSTEAD OF SAYING WITH
MID TONE ON BOTH,

BYE YOUNG,

YOU SAY BYE YOUNG.

THE VOICE INFLECTION RISES
DURING THIS WORD,

EVEN THOUGH NORMALLY IT'S
PRODUCED WITH A MID TONE.

SO WHAT'S HAPPENED IS THE WORD,
THE SEGMENTAL PART OF THE WORD,

IS GONE, COMPLETELY GONE,

BUT THE TONE ISN'T.

THE TONE STAYS BEHIND.

AND SO THE IDEA IS THAT
YOU HAVE SEGMENTS,

AND THEN YOU HAVE THINGS THAT
ATTACH TO SEGMENTS.

AND EVEN THOUGH YOU DELETE
THE SEGMENT,

THE THINGS THAT WERE ATTACHED
TO THAT SEGMENT STAY BEHIND.

OK, SO IN THIS CASE, YOU DELETE
THE TWO SEGMENTS HERE,

BUT THE THING THAT WAS ATTACHED
TO THOSE SEGMENTS STAYS BEHIND.

AND THAT'S A SIMILAR SITUATION
TO WHAT HAPPENS IN OVERSLEEP.

YOU DELETE THE WHOLE SEGMENT,

BUT THE HANDSHAPE, THE LOCATION,

THE PLACEMENT OF THE HAND
IS NOT DELETED.

THAT STAYS BEHIND EVEN
IN SPITE OF THE FACT

THAT THE SEGMENT WAS DELETED.

SO IF YOU LOOK AT EXAMPLE
NUMBER 5,

THAT GIVES YOU AN EXAMPLE
OF THESE ARE THE SEGMENTS

IN THE SIGN "GOOD,"

HOLD, MOVEMENT, HOLD.

AND THEN ALL THE INFORMATION
ABOUT THE HANDSHAPE,

WHERE THE HAND IS,
HOW IT'S ORIENTED, AND SO,

IS IN A SEPARATE BUNDLE
OF FEATURES.

SO THIS IS WHERE THE HAND IS
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SIGN,

THE HANDSHAPE WHERE IT IS,

HOW IT'S ORIENTED AT
THE END OF THE SIGN.

AND ANOTHER SET OF BUNDLES
FOR FACIAL EXPRESSIONS.

IF YOU HAVE A DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN FACIAL EXPRESSION

OR NON-MANUAL SIGNALS AT
THE BEGINNING OF A SIGN

VS. AT THE END OF A SIGN,

THOSE FEATURES WOULD GO
DOWN THERE.

OK, THAT'S A REAL QUICK
INTRODUCTION TO THAT.

IT MAY BE SOMETHING WE CAN
TALK ABOUT LATER

IF IT'S STILL NOT CLEAR.

OK, LET'S GET TO THOSE
3 PROBLEMS.

SO NOW WHAT ABOUT,
WHAT IS A SIGN?

CAN YOU INCLUDE NUMBERS NOW?

THE ANSWER IS YES, YOU CAN
INCLUDE NUMBERS

BECAUSE IT'S JUST A HOLD
WITH A SET OF FEATURES

LIKE HANDSHAPE, ORIENTATION,
LOCATION.

SO IT FITS THE MODEL.

THE MODEL SAYS, YEAH, IT'S
ALL RIGHT TO HAVE

THAT SET OF FEATURES
TO BE A SIGN.

WHAT ABOUT FINGERSPELLING
OR LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET

WHICH DO NOT MOVE?

NO PROBLEM. AGAIN, THEY'RE JUST
A HOLD SEGMENT,

A SINGLE HOLD SEGMENT, WITH
A PARTICULAR HANDSHAPE

AT A PARTICULAR LOCATION.

AND SO IT ALLOWS MORE THINGS
TO BE INCLUDED

INTO WHAT IS A SIGN.

ARE THERE STILL PROBLEMATICAL
THINGS? YES.

A PROBLEMATICAL SIGN WOULD
BE SOMETHING LIKE--

THERE'S A SIGN WAYNE SMITH
SHOWED ME

IN TAIWAN SIGN LANGUAGE

WHICH IF I REMEMBER RIGHT
MEANS WATERMELON.

AND THE SIGN IS MADE SOMETHING
LIKE THIS...

WHERE THE HANDS DON'T DO
ANYTHING AT ALL,

BUT THE HEAD IS PERFORMING
SOME ACTION

WITH RESPECT TO THE HANDS.

- THE OLD FRENCH SIGN
FOR COMPARE.

YEAH, I REMEMBER THAT.

YEAH. AND THE QUESTION IS,

IF IT'S A SIGN, HOW DO YOU
WRITE IT DOWN?

WHAT IS IT...

WHAT IS ITS STRUCTURE?

WHAT IS THE STRUCTURE OF
THAT SIGN

IF YOU'RE GONNA CALL IT
A SIGN?

AND IT'S KIND OF PROBLEMATIC
IN THIS KIND OF A MODEL

BECAUSE THE HANDS ARE DOING
A SINGLE HOLD,

AND YET YOU DON'T WANT TO SAY
THERE ISN'T ANY MOTION THERE

BECAUSE THERE CLEARLY IS
MOTION OF THE HEAD IN THAT SIGN.

THERE'S NO REAL EASY WAY
TO TALK ABOUT

HOW YOU ACCOUNT FOR THE FACT
THAT THE HEAD IS DOING SOMETHING

IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT
THE HANDS AREN'T DOING ANYTHING.

SO IN THIS PARTICULAR VIEW,
THERE'S STILL PROBLEM AREAS

IN TERMS OF WHAT CAN BE INCLUDED
AS A LEGITIMATE SIGN

AND WHAT THINGS YOU ARE JUST NOT
ABLE TO TRANSCRIBE.

OK, I THINK IT'S TIME FOR
THE NEXT ONE HERE.

OK, THE NEXT QUESTION IS,

WHAT SORT OF PROCESS PRODUCES
A COMPOUND?

OK, AND HERE THE NOTATION SYSTEM
MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE

WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT WHAT
SORT OF PROCESS

PRODUCES A COMPOUND

BECAUSE AS YOU CAN SEE
FROM NUMBER 7 HERE,

THE SIGN "GOOD" HAS 3 SEGMENTS,

HOLD, MOVEMENT, HOLD.

AND WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE HAPPENS
IS IN THE COMPOUNDING PROCESS

IS THAT SEGMENTS ARE LOST.

SO THIS MOVEMENT AND THAT HOLD
ARE SIMPLY LOST

IN THE COMPOUND FORMATION
PROCESS.

THE INITIAL HOLD IS KEPT, BUT
THOSE OTHER SEGMENTS ARE LOST.

AND ONE OF THE REPETITIONS
OF NIGHT IS LOST.

AND SO WHAT THE RESULT IS,

YOU BEGIN THE SIGN WITH
THE INITIAL HOLD WITH "GOOD,"

AND THEN YOU DO THE MOVEMENT
HOLD OF "NIGHT,"

AND THAT MAKES THE COMPOUND.

SO THE WAY THE ANALYSIS GOES

IS TREMENDOUSLY AFFECTED BY
THE KIND OF NOTATION SYSTEM

THAT YOU'RE USING.

AND IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE,
IT SHOWS THAT IT'S NOT SIMPLY

PUTTING TWO SIGNS TOGETHER

THE WAY IT HAS TO BE TREATED
IN STOKOE'S MODEL.

THERE ARE SOME CHANGES THAT
OCCUR TO THOSE SIGNS,

SOME SEGMENTAL CHANGES,

AND YOU CAN DESCRIBE THOSE
SEGMENTAL CHANGES

IN TERMS OF DELETIONS.

OK, SO THAT'S A FAIRLY MAJOR
DIFFERENCE THERE

IN THE ANALYSIS, DEPENDING ON
WHETHER YOU'RE TALKING

ABOUT A SIMULTANEOUS
REPRESENTATION

OR A SEGMENTAL REPRESENTATION.

THE THIRD QUESTION WAS,

WHAT ABOUT THE SIGN "300"?

AND THAT ONE'S STILL A KILLER
FOR THIS PHONETIC SYSTEM

BECAUSE PRESUMABLY
THE SIGN "300"

IS SOMETHING THAT'S BUILT
FROM THE SIGN "3."

THE "A" THERE JUST REPRESENTS
ALL THE SET OF FEATURES

THAT PUTS THE HAND IN THAT PLACE
WITH THAT CONFIGURATION.

AND IT'S JUST A SHORT HAND
FOR SAYING A 3 HAND SHAPE

AT THAT LOCATION,
PALM FACING OUT,

BASE OF THE HAND FACING DOWN.

I JUST USE A SYMBOL "A,"

COULD HAVE USED ANY OTHER
SYMBOL,

BUT IT'S JUST AN ABBREVIATION.

OK, THE PROBLEM IS,

300...

HAS A HOLD, MOVEMENT, HOLD...

BUT THAT SET OF FEATURES
THAT PRODUCES THIS

IS VERY MUCH LIKE THE SET
OF FEATURES

THAT PRODUCES THIS.

THE DIFFERENCE IS THAT
THE FINGERS ARE BENT

AND THE THUMB IS BENT.

BUT YOU CAN'T JUST SIMPLY HAVE

SOME SET OF FEATURES "B"
FOR ALL OF THESE

BECAUSE OTHERWISE,

500 WOULD LIKE LOOK LIKE THIS.

IF THE "B" WAS THE SAME,
500 WOULD LOOK LIKE THAT.

BUT 500 DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THAT,

500 LOOKS LIKE THAT.

SO THAT ALL THE FEATURES
THAT GO INTO MAKING UP

THIS HUNDRED HERE HAVE TO
BE DIFFERENT

FOR 100, FOR 200, FOR 300,
FOR 400, AND FOR 500.

THERE'S A DIFFERENCE IN EVERY
SINGLE ONE OF THOSE

BECAUSE THE FINAL
HANDSHAPE IS DIFFERENT.

THE FINAL HANDSHAPE IN 100 IS
THIS ONE.

THE FINAL HANDSHAPE IN 200
IS THAT,

300, 400, 500.

SO SINCE ALL THOSE FINAL
HANDSHAPES ARE DIFFERENT,

THAT MEANS YOU NEED 5 DIFFERENT
THINGS HERE

TO MAKE HUNDRED OUT OF 100, 200,
300, 400, 500.

AND THAT'S KIND OF A MESSY WAY
TO TREAT THIS PROCESS.

OK, SO WHAT HAS HAPPENED
IS NOW A FURTHER CHANGE
IN THIS MODEL

HAS TAKEN PLACE

AND...

WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ALL
THOSE FEATURES

THAT USED TO BE IN ONE BUNDLE,

AND I'LL PUT MY--I'LL JUST TALK
ABOUT THEM RIGHT HERE.

ALL THOSE FEATURES THAT USED TO
BE IN ONE BUNDLE

ARE NOW IN SEPARATE BUNDLES.

SO EVERYTHING THAT USED TO--
HERE IS--

THESE ARE TWO FINGERS EXTENDED.

THIS SAYS THAT THE TWO FINGERS
ARE STRAIGHT.

THE THUMB IS OPPOSED,

THE THUMB IS STRAIGHT.

WHOOPS, THIS IS A MISTAKE,

AND THAT SHOULD SAY EXTENDED.

THE BASE OF THE HAND IS
AT THIS PLACE,

THE BACK OF THE HAND IS FACING
TOWARDS THE BODY,

THE BASE OF THE HAND
IS FACING DOWN.

SO BASICALLY ALL THESE FEATURES
NOW IN SEPARATE TIERS,

AND THEN YOU SAY, ALL RIGHT,
NOW IF THAT SEPARATION IS MADE,

HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE 300?

AND NOW THE ANSWER IS
CONSISTENT.

IT'S THE SAME THING FOR 100,
200, 300, 400, 500,

AND THAT IS WHAT IT SAYS IS
THERE'S A MOVEMENT AND HOLD.

ON THIS TIER, ON THE LEVEL
THAT DESCRIBES

THE SHAPE OF THE FINGERS,

THE FINGERS HAVE TO BE BENT.

AND ON THIS TIER THAT DESCRIBES
THE SHAPE OF THE THUMB,

THE THUMB HAS TO BE BENT.

AND SO ALTOGETHER,

JUST INTERPRETING
THIS DIAGRAM FOR YOU,

IT SAYS THE SIGN BEGINS WITH
THIS SET OF FEATURES

ON THE LEFT.

IF THERE'S NOTHING AFTER IT,

IT STAYS THAT WAY THROUGHOUT
THE SIGN.

SO THE FACT THAT THERE ARE
TWO FINGERS EXTENDED

DOES NOT CHANGE.

THERE ARE TWO FINGERS EXTENDED
THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE SIGN.

THE FACT THAT THE THUMB IS
OPPOSED TO THOSE FINGERS

AS OPPOSED TO BACK HERE DOES NOT
CHANGE THROUGHOUT THE SIGN.

THE FACT THAT THE HAND IS
ORIENTED IN A CERTAIN WAY

DOES NOT CHANGE THROUGHOUT
THE SIGN.

SO ALL THOSE THINGS STAY
THE SAME

EXCEPT FOR THESE FEATURES
THAT CHANGE

THE CONFIGURATION
OF THE FINGERS

AND THE CONFIGURATION
OF THE THUMB.

SO BY TAKING THOSE SAME FEATURES
AND REORGANIZING THEM,

THEN WHAT HAPPENS IS WHAT
'CAUSES THE SIGN "300"--

WHAT PRODUCES THE SIGN "300"

THEN BECOMES A SIMPLE QUESTION,

AND THAT IS IT'S A SUFFIX.

THIS IS JUST A SUFFIX.

ASL's NOT SUPPOSED TO HAVE
SUFFIXES

OTHER THAN THIS ONE,

BUT THE ANSWER TURNS OUT TO BE
IT'S A SUFFIX

USING THIS PARTICULAR MODEL OF
SIGN STRUCTURE.

OK. IN STOKOE'S MODEL,

YOU'D HAVE TO SAY IT'S
A MOVEMENT CHANGE

BECAUSE THE HANDSHAPE IS THERE,
THE LOCATION IS THERE.

WHAT HAPPENS IS YOU CHANGE
THE MOVEMENT.

BUT WHEN YOU PUT IT INTO
A SEGMENTAL MODEL,

YOU GET A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
ANALYSIS

OF WHAT KIND OF GRAMMATICAL
PROCESS IT IS.

HERE IN THIS PROCESS, YOU SAY
THERE IS THIS THING RIGHT HERE

IS A SUFFIX, AND A SUFFIX
IS ON TO NUMBERS--

1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

SO THE POINT I'M TRYING
TO GET AT

IS HERE IT MAKES A FAIRLY MAJOR
DIFFERENCE

IN TERMS OF THE ANALYSIS,

DEPENDING ON HOW IT IS YOU
TRANSCRIBE A SIGN

AND HOW YOU THINK SIGNS
ARE STRUCTURED.

OK, SO I'VE JUST TAKEN
THESE 3 EXAMPLES.

THERE ARE LOTS MORE EXAMPLES

WE COULD TALK ABOUT LATER
IF YOU WANT TO,

BUT THOSE 3 EXAMPLES TAKEN
FOR A START

SHOW THAT IT MAKES A REAL
BIG DIFFERENCE IN ANALYSIS,

DEPENDING ON HOW IT IS THAT YOU
THINK A SIGN IS STRUCTURED,

WHETHER YOU THINK IT'S
STRUCTURED IN TERMS

OF A SIMULTANEOUS UNIT

OR WHETHER YOU THINK IT'S
STRUCTURED

IN TERMS OF SEGMENTS.

SO FOR JUST A REAL QUICK
SUMMARY HERE,

THE STOKOE MODEL OF SIGN

IS SOME SIMULTANEOUS BUNDLE
OF FEATURES

AND THE SEGMENTAL MODEL IS
SOME COMBINATIONS

OF HOLDS AND MOVEMENTS.

AND DEPENDING ON WHICH
SEGMENTAL MODEL,

IT'S EITHER A SINGLE SEGMENT,

A SEGMENT BROKEN INTO
A COUPLE OF PARTS,

OR A SEGMENT BROKEN INTO
A WHOLE BUNCH OF PARTS.

WHICHEVER ONE OF THOSE
YOU PICK

HAS A LARGE OUTCOME IN TERMS OF
THE WAY YOUR ANALYSIS

FINALLY ENDS UP IN TERMS OF
WHAT KIND OF GRAMMATICAL

PROCESS IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT.

OK, ALL THIS HAS COME BASICALLY
DURING THE LAST 5 YEARS OR SO,

AND IT'S BEEN REAL INTERESTING
AND EXCITING TIMES

WORKING ON THIS, AND IT'S
HARDLY OVER.

I THINK IT'S FAIR TO SAY
THAT THERE'S NOT A CONSENSUS

IN TERMS OF THE WAY SIGNS
OUGHT TO BE TREATED.

AND I EXPECT OVER THE NEXT
SEVERAL YEARS,

THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF
OTHER KINDS OF MODELS

AND A LOT OF DIFFERENT PROPOSALS
ABOUT EXACTLY

HOW SIGNS REALLY SHOULD BE
STRUCTURED.

BUT THIS WILL AT LEAST GIVE YOU
AN IDEA OF THE KIND OF THINGS

THAT ARE HAPPENING WITH PEOPLE
WHO ARE WORKING ON

SIGN STRUCTURE AND
REPRESENTATION OF SIGNS,

AND THAT IT'S NOT JUST
A NOTATIONAL ISSUE,

THAT THESE THINGS REALLY DO
BEAR ON THE WAY

PROBLEMS GET ANALYZED.

SO WHY DON'T WE STOP HERE

AND SEE WHAT KIND OF QUESTIONS
YOU HAVE.

- OK, I UNDERSTAND WHAT
YOU'RE SAYING ABOUT

WHAT A SIGN IS.

I'D BE CURIOUS ABOUT THE
PHENOMENON OF GESTURE.

SOMETIMES I HAVE A HARD TIME
DECIDING

THE EXACT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
A GESTURE AND A SIGN.

SOME OF THE STUDENTS HAVE ASKED
ME THAT, WANT TO KNOW.

I'M NOT SURE, YOU KNOW,
HOW TO EXPLAIN THAT TO PEOPLE,

ESPECIALLY FROM THE HEARING
WORLD.

- THAT IS A LOADED QUESTION,

PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU SAID THAT
THERE'S ONLY A GESTURE.

ALL SIGNS ARE GESTURES

IN THAT THEY'RE PRODUCED
BY MOVING YOUR HANDS

AND BODY IN CERTAIN WAYS.

BUT WHEN SOMEBODY SAYS--
WHEN THEY SAY,

BUT THAT'S ONLY A GESTURE--

- HOW COULD YOU SEPARATE
THOSE TWO, PERHAPS,

INTO TWO CLASSIFICATIONS?

- WHEN SOMEBODY SAYS THAT'S
ONLY A GESTURE,

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING IS THAT
IT'S NOT A SIGN.

AND IN THE CASE OF SPOKEN
LANGUAGES,

THAT'S A FAIRLY EASY DISTINCTION
TO MAKE

BECAUSE WHEN YOU MOVE YOUR ARMS
AND BODY,

NOBODY WOULD EVER ACCUSE YOU
OF SPEAKING.

BUT IN THE CASE OF
A SIGN LANGUAGE,

THE DIVISION BETWEEN GESTURE
AND SIGN

IS MUCH MORE DIFFICULT.

AND I CAN'T TELL YOU EXACTLY--

I WISH I KNEW THE ANSWER
TO THAT QUESTION.

IT'S SOMETHING THAT COMES UP
OFTEN WITH THE STUDENTS

AT GALLAUDET.

- I THINK PERHAPS WE COULD
ANSWER THAT

IN TERMS OF SIGN LANGUAGE
IS SOMETHING TAKEN FROM

THE SIGN LANGUAGE
THE DEAF PEOPLE USE

AND A GESTURE MIGHT BE

TAKEN FROM A BROADER POPULATION.

GESTURES, YOU FREQUENTLY SEE
FROM SPOKEN LANGUAGES

USED IN COMBINATION WITH
SPOKEN LANGUAGES.

- THAT WILL WORK IN A LOT OF
CASES.

IN OTHER WORDS, SIMPLY MAKING
A DIVISION THAT WAY

WILL WORK IN LOTS AND LOTS
OF CASES,

BUT THERE ARE HARD CASES

IN THE CASE OF ASL

WHERE THINGS THAT DEAF PEOPLE
DO, YOU'RE NOT SURE

IF YOU WANT TO CALL IT
A SIGN OR NOT.

IT'S SOMETHING I DON'T DO
VERY WELL,

BUT IN RESPONSE--IF SOMEONE
ASKS A QUESTION

AND THE RESPONSE IS YES,

I THINK YOU KNOW WHAT I'M
TALKING ABOUT.

AND YOU WANT TO JUST USE YOUR
FACE TO ANSWER YES.

- YES, WITH EXPRESSION.

- AND THERE'S A LITTLE TWITCH

RIGHT HERE ALONGSIDE THE NOSE,

I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU DECIDE
IF THAT'S A SIGN OR A GESTURE.

IT'S NEVER USED AS PART OF
ANY SENTENCES

THAT I KNOW OF.

IT'S ONLY USED AS A RESPONSE.

BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT
DEAF PEOPLE DO

IN REGULAR ASL CONVERSATIONS.

SO IT'S A TOUGH QUESTION
AND I ADMIT

I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER
TO THAT ONE.

YEAH?

- ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THAT

IS IN JAPANESE SIGN LANGUAGE,

THEY HAVE BORROWED
HEARING PEOPLE'S GESTURE

FOR MARKING THE GEISHA.

AND SO IN THE HEARING WORLD,

THAT'S THE GESTURE.

BUT I THINK YOU'D HAVE TO SAY

THAT IN JAPANESE SIGN LANGUAGE,
IT'S A SIGN.

SO THAT GOES AGAINST...

COULD I RAISE UP ANOTHER
QUESTION?

COULD YOU TALK JUST
A LITTLE BIT--

WE DON'T HAVE A WHOLE LOT
OF TIME--

ABOUT THE KINDS OF
GENERALIZATIONS

YOU CAN MAKE ABOUT GRAMMATICAL
PROCESSES IN YOUR SYSTEM

THAT YOU CAN'T MAKE IN OTHER
KINDS OF TRADITIONAL SYSTEMS.

- WHEW. LET ME TRY TO DO THIS
IN A COUPLE OF MINUTES.

IT'S NOT EASY. BUT I KNOW
WHAT YOU'RE GETTING AT.

THE...

THE TYPICAL THING THAT HAPPENS
WITH GRAMMATICAL PROCESSES,

ESPECIALLY WITH RESPECT
TO VERBS--

LET ME GIVE YOU SOME EXAMPLES
OF WHAT HAPPENS

AND THEN TALK ABOUT THE WAY
A SEGMENTAL TREATMENT

OF THAT WOULD LOOK.

SIGNS LIKE THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN WEIGHT

AND THIS FORM OF WAIT.

OR LOOK AND THIS FORM OR LOOK.

THE...

BASICALLY WHAT HAPPENS

IS ALL THIS INFORMATION
FROM HERE ON DOWN

STAYS THE SAME, SAME HANDSHAPE,
SAME LOCATIONS INVOLVED,

SAME ORIENTATIONS, ALL THOSE
THINGS STAY THE SAME.

WHAT HAPPENS IS THIS PART UP
HERE, THE MOVEMENT PART

IS DIFFERENT.

OK, SO GRAMMATICALLY WHAT
HAPPENS

IS SOMETHING THAT IN SPOKEN
LANGUAGE IS

ALMOST UNHEARD OF.

I MEAN, THERE MAY BE SOME
EXAMPLES OF SPOKEN LANGUAGE,

BUT IF THERE ARE, IT'S
EXTREMELY RARE.

AND THAT IS, TO TAKE THIS
SEGMENTAL INFORMATION

AND REPLACE IT WITH NEW
SEGMENTAL INFORMATION.

YOU KEEP THE THINGS THAT'S NOT
PART OF THE SEGMENT,

THAT'S NOT DIRECTLY PART OF
THE SEGMENT.

TAKE THE ACTUAL SEGMENTS,
REPLACE THEM.

IN OTHER WORDS, INSTEAD
OF HAVING A STRAIGHT
OUTWARD MOVEMENT,

YOU CAN HAVE A CIRCULAR MOVEMENT
LIKE THIS.

AND SO, BUT EVERYTHING ELSE
STAYS THE SAME--

THE HANDSHAPE STAYS THE SAME,
THE LOCATION STAYS THE SAME.

ALL THOSE THINGS HERE
STAY THE SAME.

WHAT HAPPENS ARE THE SEGMENTS
ARE REPLACED.

AND BASICALLY WHAT THAT IS
IS A REAL UNUSUAL

SORT OF GRAMMATICAL PROCESS

THAT TAKES THE ORIGINAL
SEGMENTS

AND REPLACES THEM WITH ANOTHER
SET OF SEGMENTS.

SO THAT'S A VERY UNUSUAL
KIND OF GRAMMATICAL PROCESS

FOR A SPOKEN LANGUAGE,

BUT IT SEEMS TO BE ONE OF
THE MAJOR WAYS

THAT PARTICULARLY ASL VERBS
ARE INFLECTED.

THERE ARE PARTICULAR MOVEMENT
PATTERNS

ASSOCIATED WITH
EACH INFLECTION,

AND THOSE WOULD BE--
WHAT THE INFLECTION WOULD DO

WOULD BE TAKE WHAT THE VERB
CAME WITH,

THOSE SEGMENTS, AND REMOVE THEM,

ADD IN WHATEVER THE CORRECT
SEGMENTS ARE

FOR THAT PARTICULAR INFLECTION.

SO IT'S A VERY UNUSUAL
SORT OF PROCESS,

BUT THAT'S THE WAY IT HAS TO
COME OUT OF THIS ANALYSIS.

- THE SUBJECT OF WHAT
IS A SIGN,

IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S STILL FOCUSED
PRETTY MUCH

ON HANDS AND SHAPES
AND MOVEMENTS OF HAND.

THE PROBLEM OF THE THAI
WATERMELON OR [INDISTINCT].

IT SEEMS TO ME IT EXISTS
IN OTHER PLACES

IN AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE
LIKE KIND OF A RELATIVE MOTION.

IF SOMEBODY'S GOT
POLES GOING BY,

THE POLES ARE GONNA STOP
COMING BY

AND THE PERSON MIGHT STILL BE
LOOKING FOR A SIGN.

IS THAT A REALLY SMALL PROBLEM?

- WELL, I'M NOT SURE IT'S
A PROBLEM ANYMORE,

AND LET ME TELL YOU WHY.

THE REASON IT HAD TO HAVE BEEN
A PROBLEM

IN THE MODEL IN WHICH ALL OF
THESE WERE A SINGLE BUNDLE

WAS THAT YOU HAVE TO REPEAT
EVERYTHING ALL OVER AGAIN

IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT THE
HANDS WEREN'T DOING ANYTHING.

BUT NOW WITH ALL OF THESE THINGS
SEPARATE,

ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS
NON-MANUALLY PUT

THE NON-MANUAL FEATURES
DOWN HERE,

AND THOSE ARE ENOUGH TO ACCOUNT
FOR A MOVEMENT.

SO HAVING ALL OF THOSE FEATURES
SEPARATE

AND NOT HAVING A MOVEMENT
DEPENDING ON

TWO SETS OF HANDSHAPES

AND TWO SETS OF LOCATIONS
OR WHATEVER,

NOW HAVING A MOVEMENT SIMPLY
DEPENDENT ON TWO ANYTHING,

GETTING FROM "A" TO "B"
ANYWAY,

WHETHER IT'S NON-MANUALLY
OR MANUALLY,

THAT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE
A PROBLEM ANYMORE.

SO I'M GLAD--I FORGOT
TO MENTION THAT.

I WAS READY TO DO THAT,
BUT IT SLIPPED.

I DON'T THINK THAT'S REALLY
A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM ANYMORE

BECAUSE NOW WHAT DEFINES
A MOVEMENT IN THE SYSTEM

IS HAVING TWO SETS OF FEATURES
ATTACHED TO IT.

OK. IN THIS CASE, THERE ARE
TWO FEATURES HERE

THAT ATTACH TO THAT MOVEMENT,

TWO FEATURES THERE THAT ATTACH
TO THAT MOVEMENT.

SO IT'S A MOVEMENT.

IF THERE'S ONLY ONE OF
EVERYTHING

ATTACHING TO SOMETHING,
THEN IT'S A WHOLE.

AND THE PROBLEM IS,
THAT THING,

IT SEEMED LIKE IT OUGHT TO
BE A MOVEMENT, RIGHT?

AND IT CAN BE NOW,

NOT BECAUSE THERE ARE TWO SETS
OF HANDSHAPE FEATURES INVOLVED,

BUT TWO SETS OF NON-MANUAL
FEATURES INVOLVED.

YEAH, THANK YOU.

YEAH?

- I THINK YOUR ANALYSIS
OF 300 IS NEAT.

I'M JUST CURIOUS ABOUT YOUR
CHOICE OF SUFFIX.

I ASSUME YOU'D CALL FOURTH,
THIRD,

WHEN YOU TRANSCRIBE THAT
ALSO SIMILARLY.

[INDISTINCT]

- LET ME THINK ABOUT THOSE.

THERE ARE...

NOT NECESSARILY.

NOT NECESSARILY.

WE'RE GETTING INTO A WHOLE
OTHER THING,

BUT LET ME--THERE IS A CLASS
OF SIGNS

THAT'S SIMPLY REPLACE
HANDSHAPE,

LIKE ONE WEEK, TWO WEEKS,
3 WEEKS, 4 WEEKS, 5 WEEKS,

WHERE IT'S NOT BUILT FROM
THE SIGN "ONE,"

IT'S BUILT FROM THE SIGN "WEEK."

AND YOU PUT THE CORRECT
HANDSHAPE IN THAT SIGN.

AND THIS MIGHT BE ONE
OF THOSE--

FOURTH, FIFTH, WHERE IT IS

AN ESTABLISHED THING MEANING
PLACE--

FIRST PLACE, SECOND PLACE,
THIRD--OR FIRST, SECOND, THIRD.

AND WHAT YOU DO IS YOU DON'T
TAKE THE SIGN "ONE"

AND CHANGE IT.

WHAT YOU DO IS YOU TAKE
THAT CONFIGURATION

AND PUT A HANDSHAPE INTO IT.

AND SO MY GUESS IS THAT ON
PARTICULAR EXAMPLE,

IT'S THE KIND OF THING THAT YOU
PUT A HANDSHAPE INTO

RATHER THAN THAT YOU BUILT
FROM A NUMBER.

OK. I MEAN, THERE ARE A WHOLE
BUNCH OF THOSE.

THIS YEAR MY STUDENTS
ARE TELLING ME

THAT FIRST PLACE IS FIRST PLACE,

SECOND PLACE, THIRD PLACE NOW.

TWO YEARS AGO THEY WERE TELLING
ME IT'S FIRST PLACE,

SECOND PLACE, THIRD PLACE.

SO THAT'S ONE THAT SEEMS
TO BE CHANGING,

BUT THE POINT IS THAT THAT IS
NOT, FROM MY OPINION,

THAT'S NOT BUILT FROM
THE SIGN "ONE."

IT'S BUILT FROM A MOVEMENT
FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER

IN A CERTAIN CONFIGURATION.

WHAT YOU DO IS YOU PUT IN
THE RIGHT HANDSHAPE.

SO I THINK FOR YOUR PARTICULAR
EXAMPLE,

THAT'S ONE WHERE EVERYTHING
IS THERE EXCEPT THE HANDSHAPE

AND YOU SIMPLY ADD
THE HANDSHAPE INTO THAT SIGN.

- I THINK WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO
STOP HERE

AND HAVE A SORT OF CHANGING
OF THE GUARDS.

[LAUGHTER]

BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

[APPLAUSE]

"This project is supported by a Digitizing Hidden Collections grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR). The grant program is made possible by funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation."