Lyn Wiley writes:
Hi Bill,
Re: the concept of 'building one's sign vocabulary.'
Do you refer to the accumulation of signs as a 'sign-vocabulary?'
Or, as a 'sign-lexicon?'
Or perhaps I am ignorant to some other term that would be more
correct, more suitable?
When I think of the words 'vocabulary' and 'lexicon' I think of
'spoken words' (but perhaps I'm wrong about that).
Hope you're having a good week!
Lyn
Lyn,
Depends on your audience eh?
The typical ASL student doesn't know the word "lexicon."
The two terms overlap quite a bit (see the dictionary entries
below).
But to answer your question, a student builds up his/her signing
vocabulary by studying the lexicon of ASL.
The lexicon of ASL consists of the signs, lexicalized
fingerspelling, facial expressions, and loan-signs, as well as the
head, shoulder, and torso movements (which have established
meanings) in ASL. A student develops his ASL vocabulary by learning
more and more of the ASL lexicon.
-- Bill
(William G. Vicars, Ed.D)
VOCABULARY:
1: A list or collection of words or of words and phrases
usually alphabetically arranged and explained or defined: lexicon
2: A sum or stock of words employed by a language, group,
individual, or work or in a field of knowledge
3: A list or collection of terms or codes available for use
(as in an indexing system)
4: A supply of expressive techniques or devices (as of an art
form)
LEXICON:
1: A book containing an alphabetical arrangement of the words in a
language and their definitions : dictionary
2: The vocabulary of a language, an individual speaker or group of
speakers, or a subject
3: The total stock of morphemes in a language
4: Repertoire, inventory
You can learn American Sign Language (ASL) online at American Sign Language University ™
ASL resources by Lifeprint.com © Dr. William Vicars
