The existence
or lack of context strongly influences signing and/or interpreting choices. A
native signer will often sign the same material much differently in "high
context" situations than in "low context" situations. Any consideration of an
ASL interpretation of some other language needs to account for the level of
context.
1. "I know nothing about him."*
[Context: A 3rd-person male has recently been introduced to a conversation]
Sample ASL interpretation:
IX-[1st-person-pronoun] KNOW-NOTHING IX-[3rd-person-pronoun].
2. "Some of them are 15 years old, some are 30, but none is 20."
[Context: A number of things, plants, or people have been identified and
introduced to the conversation.]
Sample ASL interpretation:
[body-shift-slightly-to-non-dominant-side] SOME OLD-15,
[body-shift-slightly-to-dominant-side] SOME OLD 30, [body-shift-to-center]
OLD-20-[rhetorical]? NONE.
3. "She read this book many times, but never up to the end."
[Context: A female is either present or has previously been identified in a
conversation regarding a previously identified book.]
Sample ASL interpretation:
IX-[the/this/it] BOOK SHE START READ
depiction-[pick-up-and-open-book]-[set-book-down]+, AGAIN+, UNDERSTAND-[rhet]
NOT-YET READ-cover-to-cover.
======================================
Notes:
The letters "IX" generally represent the concept of "indexing" a referent -- as
in "pointing your index finger toward a referent."
The rhetorical form of the sign UNDERSTAND can be used to create the meaning of
"but / however / contingent" -- and similar concepts.
There are ASL signs that take on specific meanings in specific contexts. The
sign for READ-cover-to-cover is based on a depictive sign showing a "reduction
in size of something that could be held in the hand."
==================================
Appendix A: To view the individual sentences on YouTube:
I know nothing about him. (Sample ASL sentence.)
https://youtu.be/zAGwIO4iyQU
Some of them are 15 years old, some are 30, but none is 20. (Sample ASL
Interpretation).
https://youtu.be/p-UeavJg4C4
She read this book many times but never up to the end. (Sample ASL
Interpretation.)
https://youtu.be/RWPkFjzkEvk
==================================
Appendix B: The three sentences.
Source: Roman Tarasov, a linguistics student in Moscow, Russia. *
1. "I know nothing about him"
2. "Some of them are 15 years old, some are 30, but none is 20."
3. "She read this book many times, but never up to the end."
==================================
* Reference:
Tarasov, R (2019), "Request for some ASL related help." Personal correspondence,
Received: Tue, Oct 22, 2019 12:40 pm. (Note:)
[End]
Notes:
Notes: