What is a Language?

Many people question how you can take ASL, American Sign Language, as a Foreign Language credit when it is not used in another country.  Long ago ASL was not recognized as a formal language.  Although ASL was formally started in the United States in 1817, it wasn't until 1960 when William Stokoe, a professor at Gallaudet University, proved ASL to be a true natural language for the deaf.  Below is a formal definition of what makes any language considered a “formal language”:

“ A language is a system of relatively arbitrary symbols and grammatical signals that change across time and that members of a community share and use for several purposes:  to interact with each other, to communicate their ideas, emotions, and intentions, and to transmit their culture from generation to generation.” 

Let’s look at each of these components and compare English to ASL and see how each fits this definition.

1.     All languages have arbitrary symbols:

English:  Words                                                                 ASL:  Signs

Ex:  cat, pencil, “moo”                                                      CAT, PENCIL, “m-o-o”

Words are randomly invented to represent concepts in our English language.  Signs are randomly invented to represent concepts in ASL. 

2.     All languages have grammatical signals: 

Grammatical signals are a system to show how the symbols are related.

English:  Specific sounds come together                          ASL:  Signs are created by

to form words.                                                                  handshapes, location, palm

c-a-t spells  cat                                                                  orientation, and movement.

We put English words in a specific order                         ASL:  Signs are done in a specific

to have meaning.                                                              order, but not the same as English.

Ex:  John looked at Peter.                                                 P-E-T-E-R lft  J-O-H-N rt  rt-LOOK-lft

     Peter looked at John.                                                  P-E-T-E-R lft  J-O-H-N rt  lft-LOOK-rt

(word order changes the meaning)                                  (sign movement changes meaning)

3.     Syntactic rules and semantics effect meaning:

English:  Word order, voice inflection, sarcasm              ASL:  Sign order, facial expression,

                                                                                          sign intensity

Ex:  I love to watch football every Monday night!           EVERY-MONDAY NIGHT, FOOTBALL 

                                                                                          ME LOVE* LOOK ttt  ME

You can say this sarcastically, or with emphasis to         There is a specific word order in ASL.

Change the meaning in English.  If the word order You can use facial expression and is mixed up, you know naturally it is wrong but the sign intensity to change the meaning might still be understood : meaning.

Football every Monday night I love to watch.

4.     All languages have symbols that change across time:

English:  Vocabulary changes                                           ASL:  Signs change as words change

Ex:  groovy, hip, “bad”, technology terms                        Politically correct signs, sign

                                                                                          variations, technology signs

5.     All languages are shared by members of a community:

English:  Spoken                                                                ASL:  Visually expressed

Start with sound units combined to                                  Start with signs and combine them

make words, then sentences, then stories, to express sentences, stories, and conversations .                                                   

6.     All languages are used to interact with others, express ideas, emotions, and intentions, and to transmit culture from generation to generation

English:  Rich literature to share ideas, ASL:  Has its own literature, history, feelings, history, and customs with stories, poetry, and jokes to future generations.                                                           share with its own community;         

                                                                                                the same as all spoken languages.

Used to pass on the culture to deaf children.

American Sign Language is considered the Natural Language for the Deaf.

13 Desember 2011