5 classifiers

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c. greene-szmadzinski

Linguistics of American Sign LanguageSign 260

InstructorChristopher Greene [email protected]

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Classifiers

A prefix, word, or sign that is used in some languages to indicate certain semantic or grammatical categories

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Classifiers

• Many languages have classifiers

• For example, Chinese has around 200 classifiers that exist as bound morphemes.– “horse-like” 匹– “flexible object” 条– “person-like” 个– “Hair/smoke/wind” 缕 – “pile” 堆 – “round object” 团– “tree-like” 隻

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Classifiers in English

• English does not have as rich a classifier structure as ASL, but we do have “measure words” that behave like numerical classifiers. (whether they are actually classifiers is debated)

• A bucket of mud (*a mud)• Three loaves of bread (*three breads)• A piece of gum (*a gum)• Two pairs of scissors (*two scissors)

The “___ of” is required to make sense.

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Classifiers in ASL

• In ASL, classifiers are always classifier predicates, that is, they succeed subjects.

• CAR CL:3(“vehicle-is-located”)“The car is there.”

• *CL:3 CAR

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Classifiers > Baker-Shenk and Cokely

• There are at least two types of classifiers

1. Classifiers that represent a noun and its actions

2. Classifiers that illustrate physical features (sometimes called size and shape specifiers—SASS CL)

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Classifiers

• Can replace a referent (pronouns in English)• Can show action (verbs/predicates in English)• Convey information about the manner of an

action (adverbs in English)• Give information about location of the referent

and its actions (prepositions in English)• Give information about an object’s physical

appearance (adjectives in English)

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Singular Classifiers

• Certain classifier handshapes represent a whole object or objects.

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Pluralization with Singular Classifiers

• Singular Classifiers

• One way to represent more than one thing in space is to use singular classifiers on both hands. The repetition is done with the dominant hand or with alternating movements of both hands.

Alternating hands = random arrangement

This CL typically represents ONE object

“The trophies were all around.”

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Pluralization with Singular Classifiers

Strong hand moves + sweep =Many, many objects, regular

arrangement

Vertical movement = Many rows

Bouncing =Less objects

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Pluralization with Plural Classifiers

• Plural Classifiers

• Some CL in ASL are themselves plural. They can represent:

1. Specific number of referents

2. Undetermined number of referents (mass classifiers)

This CL always represents THREE standing animals

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Classifiers > Descriptive: size, shape, depth, and texture

• ASL has classifiers that can be used to describe size, shape, depth, and/or texture of something as well as give it a relative location in space. (like English adjectives)

ie, My mom has a beautiful small, round pinThere is a bullet hole in the wall from a firearm.There is a big hole in the wall from his punch.There is a big, deep hole in the wall from a cannon.

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Classifiers > Descriptive: size, shape, depth, and texture

• Classifier handshapes can also be used with verbs—a group of verbs may have a handshape that varies according to certain physical characteristics of the referent

(PICK-UP: the action taken is the movement, palm orientation, location and non-manual signal)

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Classifiers > Locatives

• English uses prepositions to describe spatial relationships

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• ASL tends to be more specific about relationships than English does.

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• When describing spatial relationships, ASL is more efficient according to at least one study.

• Speaking graduate students took an average of 441 words to describe the inside of a house, but signing graduate students took 108. (Lane 1986)

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Classifier Predicates

A special class of depicting verbs

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• Predicate: a way of saying something about a subject (typically a noun phrase)

• English: The boy is sick.

• ASL: FATHER EAT

subject predicate

subject predicate

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• In ASL frequently classifiers are used as a predicate.

• A classifier predicate is a classifier handshape that is combined with location, orientation, movement, and non-manual signals to form a predicate.

ie, The car drove past.The cat is sitting.

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• ASL has many classifier handshapes and can create many classifier predicates. There are two basic parts (morphemes) in a classifier predicate.

the 1) movement root and the 2) handshape

Three types Seven types

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Classifier Predicates > Movement Roots

1. Stative descriptive rootThe hand moves to describe but the object is not moving.

2. Process rootThe hand moves indicating the object described is moving

3. Contact rootThe hand has a downward movement but it does not mean the object is moving nor does it describe the shape of the object

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Classifier Predicates > Handshape

1. Whole entity2. Surface3. Instrumental4. Depth and Width5. Extent6. Perimeter shape7. On-surface

Examples on p. 94

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Classifier Predicates > Perceived Motion

• Some classifier predicates show perceived motion: the hand or hands move to show a surface or an object that appears to move.

The car goes down the road.The cars pass each other.A person is passing trees.A coin goes down the surface.

• Orientation is important hereThe car goes up the hillThe car goes down the hill

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Classifier Predicates > Signer Perspective

• Location is important in classifier verbs: there is a clear differentiation between ‘object passes object’ and ‘object passes signer’

The car went quickly.(from a relative POV)

The car went quickly in front of me.(from an absolute POV)

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Classifier Predicates > Signer Perspective

Perspective system, unless otherwise marked

General descriptive system system, unless otherwise marked

5 classifiers

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