Phonological Processes in ASL and English

Phonological Processes in ASL and English 707.01 Class 5 – Sept. 24

Housekeeping • Group project: • Does everyone have a language sample? • Have you bought/borrowed the green book? • Have you set aside a time to meet? • After your first rough draft for the glossing section, you need to make an appointment to see me.

Review • Stokoe’s notation system was the first attempt at identifying ‘the smallest contrastive units in ASL” (a.k.a phonemes). However .. • The three parameters he called ‘cheremes” location, handshape and movement are not equivalent to phonemes.

The Liddell and Johnson Hold-Movement Model identified three types of contrastive units in ASL: • Holds, Movements and X-segments. • This model allows for sequential contrast to be observed. • These three types of segments are categories of phonemes. • They also suggested that handshape, location, and palm orientation were distinctive features within a segment much like the distinctive features of spoken language phonemes (e.g.: consonants have placement, manner and voice). • This clarification evidences simultaneous contrast

As future teachers, why should any of this matter to you? • The number one concern in the education of deaf children is the development of language and literacy skills. • The written systems of spoken languages are broadly based on a sound-symbol association. • As we saw earlier, in English this graphophonemic relationship is not always consistent nor predictable.

The field of deaf education has long debated the issue of whether or not deaf children should be exposed to phonemic awareness and phonics instruction. • The field of bilingual education for deaf children argues in favor of transference of skills from the child’s first language to their second language; therefore, understanding that words are made out of segments should come after or in conjunction with understanding that signs are made out of parts.

Phonotactics • The area of phonology concerned with the analysis and description of the permitted segment sequences of a language. • Remember: /r/, /p/, /o/ and /s/. pores, spores ropes *rspo, *rpos Not all the combinations form English words.

PhonotacticsYou try it • Which of these words could be English words and which could not? • Charp • Ptlin • Browk • Hozone • ngangy

Phonotactic rules are different for each language. • Spanish does not allow words to begin with /sk/, /sp/ nor /st/. • English does not allow words to begin with /ŋ/ or end in /w/ or /h/. • If an English word begins with three consonants the first one must be /s/, the second must be a voiceless stop /p/, /t/ or/k/ and the third must be a liquid or a glide /r/, /l/ or /y/.

What about phonotactics in ASL? • Most readily seen in handshape sequences. 1 HS, 2 HSs, 3 HSs • One and 2 hs sequences are more common. In a sign with a three HS sequence, the first and last are the same. • THINK-SAME-THOUGHT • SHOCKED (AMAZED)

Battison’s Conditions (1978) • Symmetric Condition If a sign using two hands moves, it will have the same handshape and type of movement, and the orientation will be identical or the exact opposite. Point of contact will be the same or the matching location on opposite side of the body. TRY, WAY, LIVE, SUCCESS, BODY, CHANGE,

Dominance condition: In a two-handed sign when one hand acts on the other: • If the two hands are the same any handshape is acceptable • If the handshapes are different, only the dominant hand can move. The passive hand serves as the base. The base hand must be one of the following: • B, A, S, C, O, 1 or 5. DISCUSS FOOL HELP SET-UP

Phonological Processes • Rules that specify the allophones of a phoneme and their distribution (location in a word). • The rules are stated in terms of the environment within a word where they occur. • W X / Y ____ Z • W becomes X after Y and before Z • /t/ becomes /th/ after word initial and before stressed vowel

Phonological Processes in English. • Aspiration: /thim/ Aspiration is the puff of air that occurs when any stop, voiceless consonant begins a syllable and are followed by a stressed vowel. Phep/per, pa/pha /ya • Vowel Lengthening: a longer vowel is produced when it precedes a voiced consonant. seize, heed, leave

Phonological Processes in English. • Vowel Nasalization: occurs when vowels precede a nasal consonant. pan, Pam, pang. The vowel adopts the nasal characteristics of the consonant. V C • Flapping: The rapid tap of the tongue on the alveolar ridge occurs when /t/ and /d/ are in between a stressed and an unstressed vowel. Writer rider Latter Ladder.

Phonological Processes in ASL • Movement Epenthesis : Adding a movement segment between 2 signs. • FATHERSTUDY H H (internal movement)(internal movement) FATHER STUDY H [M] H

Phonological Processes in ASL • Hold Deletion: Eliminates holds between movements when signs occur in sequence. NOT TRUE H M H H M X NOT-TRUE H M (H) M (H)* M X H M M M X • *Exceptions to the hold deletion rule are observed in signs that have a lengthened final segment and those that contact a part of the body.

Metathesis: Occurs when parts of a sign can change places. (transposition) • DEAF TWIN CONGRESS FLOWER • Assimilation: One segment takes on the characteristics of another segment. • PRO-1 CURIOUS • Weak hand deletion: Deletion of the base or passive hand. • LATER HORSE CAT COW (historical)

What should I remember after all of this? Everything of course.  or • Phonotactics tell us what patterns are and are not allowed in a language. • These restrictions can be explained in terms of rules and phonological process. • These rules describe the environment that influences a segment to change. • This is true for both ASL and English.

Phonology VS Morphology. • So far we have been talking about: The study of the smallest meaningless parts in a language, what they are, what are their features and what rules describe and restrict their combination. • Now we are going to look at the study of the smallest meaningful parts in a language, what they are, how they combine, and the rules that describe and restrict their combination.

Phonological Processes in ASL and English