Dr. Bill Vicars

Lifeprint.com

ASL Linguistics:

Semantics

What is the sign

for NAME?

What is the sign

for ROME?

LIS = Italian Sign Language

Lingua dei Segni Italiana

Meaning is

determined by…

… a specific community of users.

Determined = decided = agreed

Dictionary problem:

Same sign / different glosses

Can you think of any signs that

have more than one English

interpretation?

Lets discuss types of

meaning…

3 types of meaning

…

Referential Social Affective

Referential meaning

…

idea, thing,

state of affairs

CAT = 4 legs, tail, whiskers,

etc.

The "cat" is a referent of

the sign CAT.

REFER = NAME-(verb)

REFER = LABEL

-

Social Meaning

…

Sign choices reveal social information

where from

male or female

African American

or Caucasian

example: AWFUL

Affective Meaning

…

Sign choices reflect your…

feelings, attitudes, opinions

Example: "fascinating research"

vs…

"boring old

project"

Shows your

attitude

affective = feelings

Referential meaning = What

Social meaning = Who

Affective meaning

= How feel

Referential meaning = denotation

Social and Affective

meaning = Connotation

Example: “dEAF” =denotation

Example: DEAF = connotation

What is a lexicon?

A set of words

known by users of a language.

Lexicon = Vocabulary

set

What is a Lexical item?

A word (or sign).

The study of semantics includes

considering…

Relationships of meaning between

“lexical items” (words or signs)

Ways words are related in meaning

Will teach you six ways.

Consider: APPLE & CAR

APPLE & CARAre not related

Consider:

BLUE RED YELLOW GREEN

ORANGE PURPLE

…are types of what?

COLOR

BLUE, RED, etc. have a relationship with COLOR

That relationship

is called:

1. Hyponymy

BLUE, RED, YELLOW, etc. are

hyponyms

COLOR is a

hypernym

Example:

Sign Language: ASL, LSF, LIS, LSQ

“hyper” means

“over” or above.

Is "RED" a color?

Duh. I have a point.

Consider: HAND & ARM

Is a HAND an

ARM?

No.

We are not

discussing hyponymy.

New type of

meaning…

The relationship between a

hand and an arm is a:

2. Part/Whole Relationship

Another example:

PHONOLOGY and

LINGUISTICS

Note…

RED is a type of color…

HAND is a part of an

arm.

Phonology is not a type

of linguistics.

Phonology is a part of

linguistics.

So far we’ve talked about what

two types of relationships

between signs?

1. Hyponymy 2. Part/Whole

New relationship…

Consider: soda &

pop

sofa & couch

Two words that mean the same

thing are…

Synonyms

3. Synonymy

Consider however:

“Denotative Synonymy” means …

“Refer to the same

thing.”

Two signs can denote (or refer to) the same thing but

have a different connotation (social

or affective meaning).

Can have different

connotative meaning.

Connotatively not

synonymous

Connotative = social and

affective

Connotative = who & how

feel

DEAF ("index" hand) & DEAF (A-5 hand) are denotatively similar

(synonymy) but connotatively dissimilar.

DEAF ("index" hand) & DEAF (A-5 hand) both refer to the concept of

“not hearing” but the two signs are different in

terms of WHO uses them and HOW the user feels

about being “Deaf.”

Are BED & #BED an

example of Synonymy

????

Maybe at a basic

referential level.

But they tend to be used

differently in actual

conversation.

BED & #BED are not synonymous at the sentence or conversation

level.

That means not synonymous at the "discourse"

level.

“Discourse" tends to mean

the use of sentences or

having a conversation.

Can you think of another pair of ASL

lexicon that has sign version and a

lexicalized fingerspelling

version?

CAR and #CAR

BUSY and #BUSY

EARLY and #EARLY

So far we’ve talked about what

three types of relationships

between signs?

1. 2.

3.

1. Hyponymy

2. Part/Whole

3. Synonymy

New relationship…

Consider: LARGE

and SMALL

They are opposite

in meaning.

4. Antonymy

= opposites

There are two types

of Antonymy

Gradable & Non-

gradable

Gradable = levels, degrees, relative

Example: LARGER vs SMALLER

Non-gradable = one or the other but not both

Example: PREGNANT

ALIVE or DEAD

Gradable: English uses “-er"

Gradable: ASL often

uses "depiction"

Example: "LIMO" vs V W Bug

THICK BOOK vs THICKER

BOOK

ASL Gradation may also

use…

Nonmanual signals ex: pursed lips

/ cha.

and structure changes,

ex:

LIMO moves hands

further.

Consider: GOOD &

BAD

English GOOD/BAD phonological

forms different

ASL GOOD/BAD phonological

forms similar

Reversal of orientation

for antonymy

Examples…

LIKE

DON'T-LIKE

WANT

DON'T-WANT

KNOW

DON'T-KNOW

1. 2. 3.

4.

1. Hyponymy 2. Part/Whole 3. Synonymy 4. Antonymy

New Relationship…

Consider: WIFE &

HUSBAND

TEACHER STUDENT

AUNT NIECE

5.

Converseness

Converseness is sort of

similar to antonymy

Converseness happens in

pairs

often phonologically similar

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

1. Hyponymy2. Part/Whole3. Synonymy 4. Antonymy

5. Converseness

New relationship…

6. Metaphor

Metaphor = extension of

meaning

Consider:

Orientational Metaphor example…

DEPRESSED

TIRED

THRILLED

HAPPY

Up = positive meaning

Down = negative meaning

Up = present

(APPEAR)

Down = absent

(DISAPPEAR)

-

Ontological means …

... relating to or based upon being

or existence.

The iconic nature of

ASL …

is ontological

Signs (often) look-

like what they are.

A sign often looks like…

…somethin

g that exists.

The sign ANALYSIS

is …

mapped to the sign

DIGGING…

which is mapped

to …

the real life act of digging.

Ontological metaphors

treat abstract…

entities states and events as if they were objects.

"Digging into your psyche."

"FALL-INTO an area of

interest"

"HOLD-ONTO

that idea"

-

Structural Metaphor:

Treat abstract concepts in

terms of a more concrete concept.

"Time is money."

ASL ex: TIME-"run

out of"

-

Metaphor: 1. Orientational 2.

Ontological 3. Structural

4.

4. Families of signs

What signs can you do

with an open-8

handshape?

FEEL

EXCITE

DEPRESS

PITY

SICK

SENSITIVE

…other example

…

Can you think of some signs

that seem related to “NOT”?

DENY

REFUSE

BLAME

SUFFER

Metaphor: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Metaphor:1. Orientational 2.

Ontological 3. Structural

4. Sign Families

There are more types of meaning. Today we’ve discussed six.

What are the six types of word

“meaning relationships”?

1. Hyponymy 2. Part/Whole 3. Synonymy

4. Antonymy 5. Converseness 6. Metaphor

Here is a way to

remember those:

CHAMPS

Dr. Bill Vicars

Lifeprint.com