ASL III

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ASL III

• Classifiers

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What is a Classifier?

• Classifiers are designated handshapes and/or
  rule-grounded body pantomime used to represent
  nouns and verbs. ASL has many classifier
  handshapes to represent specific categories or
  class of objects.

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Purpose of classifiers

• Provides information about nouns and verbs
• location,
• kind of action,
• size,
• shape
• manner. 
• Clarifies a message
• More efficient

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What do classifiers represent?

• Whole entity
• Surface
• Instrumental
• Depth/width
• Perimeter shape
• On-surface

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When do we use classifiers?

• To describe an object
• an action or something that occurred
• to give directions,
• to share information about the surroundings
• as part of a story i.e., to set the scene or to
  share characteristics etc.

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3 kinds of Classifiers

• Stative- does not move/stationary
• Process- moves
• Contact- touches

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Stative

• Car parked
• Vase
• Person standing

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Process

• Car moving
• Animal running
• Person walking
• Eyes moving

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Contact

• Vase on table
• Car parked
• Coins on a table

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Which Handshapes are allowed for Classifers?

• A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y
  Z
• 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

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Letter Handshapes

• A- vase, can, bottle, statue, placement of items
  on a table
• B - 4 people together, walls, floors, shelves,
  flat objects

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Handshape Classifiers

• C- cup, trash can, building, large pipe, shape of
  something
• F- coins, buttons, eyes moving back and forth,
  pearl necklace, shape of cigar
• G- eyebrows, mouth, mustache, collar, bird beak

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Handshape Classifiers

• H - represent (the class of) objects that tend to
  be flat and narrow belts, bandages, tongues,
  bacon, noodles, ribbons
• I - represent (the class of) objects that tend to
  be thin, long, and string-like lines, hairline
  cracks, string, spaghetti

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Handshape Classifiers

• K - represent (the class of) objects that have
  two long skinny round things Doing the splits.
• ILY- bird, airplane flying

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Handshape Classifiers

• L- show shape of objects- picture frame, clocks,
  lakes, or size
• O- pipes, handlebars, hose
• R - used to show objects that are classified as
  rope-like, braided, and/or twisted

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• S- show a head- nodding, peaking through a door,
  animal stretching/turning head
• U- people sitting or standing, thin objects-
  tongue, diving board, tie

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• X represent (the class of) objects that are
  skinny, long, and curved or bent Person walking
  stooped over, Banana laying on a table, Curls in
  hair
• Y - represent things that are very wide The
  mouth of a hippopotamus, A fat person walking,
  Liquid being poured, especially gravy or syrup.

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Number handshapes

• 1- person, pencil, pole, one-lane road,
  tree-branch
• 2/- two people, toss-and-turn, dive, jump
• 3- vehicle, animal

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Number handshapes

• 4 - 4 people, hair style, whiskers
• 5 - 5 people walking, leaves falling, hair style

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Other handshapes

• 3-curved 5-curved-("claw")
• Bent-V
• Closed X