Facial Expressions - Linguistic aspect

Valerie Sutton signwriting at MAC.COM
Fri Aug 1 15:11:31 UTC 2008


SignWriting List
August 1st, 2008

Hello Maria and Charles!
Thank you for the interesting discussions on writing Facial  
Expressions in ASL...

I hope to post the ASL video of Lucinda O'Grady Batch, signing the  
history of de l'Eppe, which Charles is transcribing in the ASL  
Encyclopedia puddle...on the web this month...

Meanwhile, another link that might be of interest...

Lessons in writing ASL Grammar...
http://www.signwriting.org/lessons/grammar/

Article 4 on that web page is about writing Facial Adverbs in  
ASL...including the MM and TH adverbs...those are facial expressions  
that are very important to writing ASL...

The article is written in ASL about ASL, but there is English  
translation down at the bottom...very tiny...I should make it  
bigger ;-))

As you say, Maltese facial expressions may be different...so this is  
only for ASL...

Val ;-)

-------------------




On Aug 1, 2008, at 7:41 AM, MARIA AZZOPARDI wrote:

> Sorry for the misunderstanding.  Thanks for the link.
>
> Maria
>
>
>> There is also an excellent SW article on Facial Expressions and  
>> Topical
>> Markers.
>>
>> http://www.signwriting.org/lessons/grammar/gram001.html
>>
>>
>> Charles Butler <chazzer3332000 at yahoo.com> wrote: The video that I am
>> transcribing is NOT in the Sign Puddle or Sign Literature yet.   
>> There is
>> no publication called "Living ASL".  I was using this is an example  
>> of a
>> living language.  Valerie has not yet loaded Lucinda's videotape on
>> L'Epee.
>>
>> Signing Naturally covers expression and head nod markers in several
>> chapters.  We spent at least three classes on those markers in my  
>> ASL III
>> class.
>>
>> Charles
>>
>>
>> MARIA AZZOPARDI <maria.azzopardi at um.edu.mt> wrote: So would the head
>> up/down at the beginning and end of a fingerspelt word
>> also be considered a 'topical marker'?
>>
>> Do you know of any recent literature about facial expressions, or  
>> even a
>> grammar book of ASL that would include facial expressions/head  
>> movements.
>>
>> So is 'Living ASL' in the USA Puddle?
>>
>> Many thanks once  again
>> Maria
>>
>>> Ah, "Living ASL" was my shorthand for working directly with  
>>> Lucinda's
>>> tape.  I'd love to go to some of the Deaf video blogging sites and
>>> simply
>>> grab one at random and write them.
>>>
>>> The grammar marker at the end of Versailles France would be a  
>>> "topical
>>> marker". The whole phrase is one noun, not just Versailles.  She's
>>> really
>>> talented and very consistent.
>>>
>>> In the original video tape she did tend to mouth words so I had to  
>>> be
>>> careful just to pick up the grammatical markers, not the English.
>>>
>>> Charles
>>>
>>>
>>> MARIA AZZOPARDI  wrote: Thank you Charles for
>>> your feedback. Yes, I've noticed the classifiers and
>>> will be analysing them a little more in detail soon.
>>>
>>> Your transcriptions of DeafHistory contain a lot of phonetic detail,
>>> well
>>> done - even someone like myself who knows no ASL can  almost see the
>>> Deaf
>>> signer sign while reading them.
>>>
>>> Where can I find "living ASL" please?
>>>
>>> Maria
>>>
>>>> The DeafHistory 1-4 are from a transcription of an actual video  
>>>> which
>>>> will
>>>> be posted later, so as a "standard" text it, I think, is a good  
>>>> example
>>>> of
>>>> "living ASL".  I'm trying to include the head-nods where they  
>>>> appear,
>>>> as,
>>>> for the most part, they appear as markers on fingerspelled words  
>>>> and on
>>>> time phrases.
>>>>
>>>> I'm also including, if you may have noticed, classifiers when  
>>>> they are
>>>> carried down between signs.  Note "teaching Deaf children" in
>>>> DeafHistory4, the left hand from TEACH is carried down into Deaf &
>>>> children as a topical marker while the primary hand moves.
>>>>
>>>> Charles
>>>>
>>>> MARIA AZZOPARDI  wrote: Thanks.
>>>> Yes, this is  helpful. It's a starting point to start analyzing and
>>>> thinking.
>>>>
>>>> It's interesting to see how the head-up and then head-down marks  
>>>> the
>>>> beginning an end of a fingerspelt word, this happens in LSM too.  
>>>> It's
>>>> even
>>>> more interesting to note that it doesn't actually mark the  
>>>> beginning
>>>> and
>>>> end of a fingerspelt word, because in 'Versailles France', the head
>>>> comes
>>>> down on the sign France rather than on the last 's' of Versailes.
>>>>
>>>> What exactly would you call this grammatical feature?
>>>>
>>>> Additionally, you mentioned this is a first draft. For writing  
>>>> standard
>>>> ASL, would you include the head-up and then head-down at the  
>>>> beginning
>>>> and
>>>> end of fingerspelt words, or would the head-up and down be  
>>>> considered
>>>> redundant information, and thus unneccessary for a written text.
>>>>
>>>> thanks,
>>>> Maria
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Simply as an example, go to the ASL Encyclopedia and see the
>>>>> beginnings
>>>>> of
>>>>> the article I have loaded on Deaf History, DeafHistory1,  
>>>>> DeafHistory2,
>>>>> DeafHistory3, DeafHistory4.  I transcribed this from a videotape  
>>>>> and
>>>>> it
>>>>> is
>>>>> filled with grammatical eye gazes, eyebrows, and head nods.   
>>>>> It's a
>>>>> first
>>>>> draft, but it may help you in how I manage with it.
>>>>>
>>>>> Charles Butler
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> MARIA AZZOPARDI  wrote: Hello list,
>>>>>
>>>>> I have a 'big' question about the function of facial expressions
>>>>> (mainly
>>>>> eye-brow and head up/down expressions) in sign languages.
>>>>>
>>>>> The linguistics of LSM (Maltese sign language) has still not been
>>>>> researched  thoroughly. There are of course rules in LSM governing
>>>>> facial
>>>>> expressions, however since this has not been studied yet, I find
>>>>> myself
>>>>> trying to do two things at the same time: translate to signwritten
>>>>> LSM,
>>>>> and at the same time think about what rules may be governing these
>>>>> facial
>>>>> expressions. I find myself using different eye-brow expressions  
>>>>> for
>>>>> different questions, at the introduction of new topics, during
>>>>> role-play
>>>>> in signing, at certain clauses etc.
>>>>>
>>>>> Could someone lead me to some more information about the  
>>>>> grammatical
>>>>> aspect of facial expressions, preferably with signwritten  
>>>>> examples. Or
>>>>> perhaps illustrate a few examples of how and when facial  
>>>>> expressions
>>>>> are
>>>>> used in your sign languages. LSM is different to ASL and other   
>>>>> sign
>>>>> languages, although it seems to be a little related to BSL.  
>>>>> Besides
>>>>> there
>>>>> are certain sign language universals, so any information would  
>>>>> be much
>>>>> appreciated.
>>>>>
>>>>> Maria
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
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