Module 2

Vocabulary

Extra Resources 

Fingerspelling

Shoulder Shifting:

Shoulder-shifting is a feature unique to American Sign Language.  Shoulder shifting is a way to distinguish several pieces of information in a signed sentence by slightly moving your head and shoulders in a different direction for each detail.

• “AND” and “OR”:   In Unit 3, we learned to use shoulder shifting for indicating “AND”.  It can also be used for “OR” when adding “WHICH” at the end of a “WH” question.

• Referencing:  In Unit 1, we talked about pointing (using “deixis”, “setting up in space”, and “referencing”) to talk about a person or thing that is not present.

If there is more than one person/thing, you incorporate the shoulder shift and point to more than one place.  The referent is established by naming what you are referring to and then designating (pointing to) a location. You can then point back to the places and not necessarily repeat what you are referring to. 

When you reference a person/thing to the left, and shift to the left.  If referencing to the right, shift to the right.

• Contrastive Structure:  Another use for shoulder shifting is to contrast topics/pieces of information in the same sentence.  This will NOT include the deixis.  The signer will simply shoulder shift with each concept or idea.  When shifting a specific direction, the signer can give information about that topic, and shift to the new topic to give information about that one.   For example, I could tell you about 3 new gifts I received.  I could shift to the left, tell you what the gift is and tell you about it.  I could then shift to the center, tell and explain the next gift.  Finally, I could shift to the right, tell and explain the third gift.  Each shoulder shift clearly indicates a separate topic.

• Listing:  Shoulder shifting can also be incorporated to clearly show a list of things.  I could show two or three things by shoulder shifting left to right.  Or, if there were more than three items, I could shoulder shift back and forth.  (left, right, left, right, left…)

CL-B-(flat) "flat hand"

*  Smooth, flat surfaces: road or runway; wall, hallway, ceiling, floor, shelf

*  Flat mobile surfaces: surfboard, skateboard, snowboard, people mover (moving sidewalk)

*  Inanimate objects in specified locations: pictures on a wall, books on a table, racecar on a road

*  Inanimate objects in specified positions: books lined upright on a shelf, papers facing down

*  Height and width: a person's height (see CL-B-bent), the width of a box, a stack of books

*  Delineating 3 dimensional objects: house, box

*  A non-motorized riding device: horse, bicycle

*  Combine with CL-1, CL-3, or CL-ILY to show movement over surface

*  sea-turtle (using both hands and wiggling thumbs)

*  Related lexicalized classifiers that have become standardized signs: horse-RIDE, PAPER [These are not classifiers. They are signs that have evolved from classifiers. They are frozen forms. If you unfreeze them and change their movements they may become classifiers again.]

CL-5-(claw)

*  Scads of (too many to count): stars in the sky, freckles, audiences or crowds

*  Large piles (used to show curved top of large piles)

*  Objects that are rough or jagged: rakes, an animal growling, an animal biting

*  Objects that are withered or curled up: withered plants

*  Curly hair, wavy hair

*  The process of freezing or the state of being frozen

*  Representing groups of people sitting together: carpools, a group of people packing into a car, people in a raft

*  clouds, smoke, airborne dust

* Balls: holding a ball, throwing a ball

*  Hands: (modification of CL-5-claw) particularly for scaling or climbing large object, wall, boulder

*  Gnarled: to freeze, wither up, knobby tires

*  Related lexicalized classifiers that have become standardized signs:  SHOCKED-(brain-freeze), FREEZE, RAKE, SCADS, AUDIENCE, RICH, PLENTY, BITE  [These are not classifiers. They are signs that have evolved from classifiers. They are frozen forms. If you unfreeze them and change their movements they may become classifiers again.]

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