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ASL: "Infinitive Form" doesn't require a separate marker.  Prepositions are often incorporated into signs.


 

ASL (American Sign Language) handles prepositions differently from spoken languages like English. Instead of using separate words for prepositions, ASL often incorporates spatial relationships and specific handshapes to convey prepositional meanings. Here are some examples of how ASL handles concepts that would be expressed with prepositions in English:

  1. Spatial relationships: ASL uses the signing space to show relationships between objects. For example:
  1. Directional verbs: Some verbs in ASL change their movement or orientation to incorporate prepositional meanings:
  1. Classifiers: These are handshapes that represent categories of objects and can show their position or movement:
  1. Context and facial expressions: Sometimes, the prepositional meaning is implied through context and non-manual markers (facial expressions):
  1. Locatives: ASL signs can sometimes use modify the location at which a sign is done to replace English prepositions:
  1. Time indicators: For temporal prepositions, ASL sometimes uses timeline concepts:

These examples show how ASL tends to incorporate prepositional meanings into its grammar and spatial syntax, rather than using separate preposition signs. This approach allows for efficient and visually clear communication of spatial and temporal relationships.

 

Does that mean ASL never uses specific signs for prepositions?

ASL does occasionally use signs such as "WITH, INSIDE, OUTSIDE" etc. 
Note that "inside" and "outside" are often used as adverbs but when paired with a noun they can function as prepositions.  For example in the phrase "outside of" the word "of" is a preposition but in ASL the "of" would be dropped and the prepositional meaning is included in the sign OUTSIDE (when paired with a noun).


 

In American Sign Language (ASL) the infinitive marker "to" and various prepositions are often dropped or incorporated within the meaning of signs.

Consider:
"to"

  1. Primary function: The word "to" can function in two distinct ways in English: a) As an infinitive marker b) As a preposition
  2. Infinitive marker "to": When "to" is used before the base form of a verb to create an infinitive (e.g., "to go," "to eat"), it is not considered a preposition. In this role, it's typically called an infinitive marker or part of the infinitive.

Examples:

  1. Prepositional "to": When "to" is used to indicate direction, recipient, or relationship between other parts of the sentence, it functions as a preposition.

Examples:

  1. Grammatical classification: The infinitive marker "to" is sometimes classified as a particle or simply as part of the infinitive verb form. It doesn't fit neatly into traditional parts of speech categories.
  2. Historical context: Interestingly, the infinitive marker "to" and the preposition "to" have the same etymological origin. Over time, the infinitive use developed as a distinct grammatical function.
  3. Linguistic debate: There's some linguistic debate about how to classify the infinitive "to." Some argue it could be considered a subordinating conjunction, while others maintain it's in a class of its own.
  4. Practical distinction: In practice, the key is to recognize whether "to" is part of a verb infinitive or if it's relating nouns/pronouns to other parts of the sentence.

While "to" can be a preposition in some contexts, when it's used as an infinitive marker, it is not functioning as a preposition. The infinitive marker "to" is a distinct grammatical element that introduces the base form of a verb.

 

Regardless of its role as either and infinitive or as a preposition both meanings or functions of the word "to" are generally incorporated into the related ASL sign.

Another English word with more than one role is the word "off."  The word "off" tends to function as a preposition when discussing removal or separation: "take your feet off the table;" when discussing distance: "the island is just off the coast;" or discussing departure: "The plane took off from the runway."

The words "from, with, and at" are consistently a prepositions.
 

Now consider how the words "to, from, off, at, and with" tend to be incorporated into the following ASL signs:

ASK-to
BITE-into
CALL-to
CALL-from
CHAT-with
CLOSE-to
DIVE-into (the water)
DRIVE-from

DRIVE-to
ELECTRONIC-MESSAGE-to-[flick-version]
EMAIL-from
EMAIL-to
FALL-off-of (a building)
FALL-off-of (a chair)
FALL-off-of (a horse)
FAR-away-from
FAR-from
FAR-to
FLY-to
FLY-from
GIVE-to
GO-to
LOOK-at
LOOK-down
LOOK-up-at
MOVE-to
NEAR-by
NEED-to (have to)
PULL-on
PUT-in
SEARCH-for
STAY-at
TAKE-from
TELL-to
TOGETHER-with
WANT-to
YELL-at

 

Consider how the concept of "off" in "turn off the light is incorporated into the sign LIGHTS-off.

 


And of course, depictive signing (classifiers) often incorporates prepositional meaning -- for example, the concept of "be at" (be in a certain location in relation to other concepts in your sentence).

CL:11-(walk-with) Using two index fingers to show two individuals walking along together
 

 

Notes: 
Also in this same vein is the concept of "FROM."
For example:
where-FROM (You don't need to sign "where" when doing the sign FROM).
come-FROM  (You don't need to sign "come" when signing FROM).

way-over-THERE-(arched-extended-pointing-gesture) (The concept of "way over" should be incorporated into the sign "THERE" by modifying the way you sign THERE.)

 

BATHROOM incorporates "go to."  For example:  "I am going to go to the bathroom" is signed "I BATHROOM."

 

Next, consider the difference in these two sentences:
"I remembered to take my umbrella."  (Uses infinitive form.)  Signed with a nod and perhaps a bit of pride.
"I remembered taking my umbrella." (Uses gerund form.)  Signed with introspection and reflection.
 

 

 

Particles

The concept of a particle in linguistics can be a bit complex but let's dive in:

  1. Definition: A particle is a word that has a grammatical function but often does not fit into the main parts of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb). In English, particles are typically associated with verbs to form phrasal verbs or to add aspectual meaning.
     
  2. Characteristics:
    • Typically short words
    • Usually uninflected (doesn't change form)
    • Does not fit neatly into traditional part-of-speech categories
    • Often modifies the meaning of a verb or adds aspectual information
       
  3. Common uses: a) In phrasal verbs:
    • "turn off", "give up", "look after" b) To indicate aspect:
    • "He is eating up his dinner" (completive aspect)
       
  4. Difference from prepositions:
    • Particles are not followed by objects, unlike prepositions
    • Particles form a semantic unit with their associated verb
       
  5. Difference from adverbs:
    • While some particles can function as adverbs in other contexts, in phrasal verbs they're more tightly bound to the verb
       
  6. Position in sentences:
    • Can often be separated from the verb by the object in transitive phrasal verbs Example: "Turn off the light" or "Turn the light off"
       
  7. Types of particles:
    • Verbal particles (used in phrasal verbs)
    • Aspectual particles (indicating completion, continuation, etc.)
    • Modal particles (in some languages, modifying the mood or tone)
       
  8. In other languages:
    • The concept of particles can vary significantly between languages
    • In some languages, particles play roles in marking questions, emphasis, or other grammatical functions
       
  9. Linguistic debate:
    • There's ongoing discussion among linguists about the exact definition and scope of particles
    • Some consider certain uses of infinitive "to" or possessive "'s" as particles in English

In the phrase, "turn off the light," "off" is functioning as a verbal particle. It combines with "turn" to create a phrasal verb with a meaning distinct from the individual words, demonstrating the key role particles play in expanding and modifying verbal meanings in English.  However, in ASL the particle "off" in the phrase "turn off the light" is incorporated into the sign LIGHT by switching the segments of the sign LIGHT and instead starting with (open) 5-hands (or sometimes with 5-hands with straight digits that are slightly bent at the large knuckles) and then closing the hands until they are in the shape of what some refer to as an "AND-hand" (or squished-O).

 

Understanding particles helps in grasping the nuances of phrasal verbs and certain idiomatic expressions in English, which can be challenging for language learners but are crucial for fluent communication.

The following is a list of phrasal verbs that use particles.
 It is posted here as a holding place for eventual inclusion in a lesson regarding how English "particles" can be interpreted into ASL.
 

01. She *broke down* in tears after hearing the news.
02. Can you *turn up* the volume? I can't hear the TV.
03. We need to *look into* this matter more closely.
04. Please *fill out* this form before seeing the doctor.
05. The meeting has been *put off* until next week.
06. He *ran into* an old friend at the grocery store.
07. Don't forget to *take out* the trash tonight.
08. The company decided to *lay off* 50 employees.
09. I *came across* an interesting article yesterday.
10. She *got over* her cold pretty quickly.
11. We should *set up* a meeting to discuss the project.
12. The thief *made off with* the valuable painting.
13. Can you *pick up* some milk on your way home?
14. The students *handed in* their assignments on time.
15. He *gave up* smoking last year.
16. The plane *took off* an hour late due to bad weather.
17. Please *turn off* your phones during the performance.
18. We need to *figure out* a solution to this problem.
19. The children *dressed up* as superheroes for Halloween.
20. She *backed out* of the deal at the last minute.
21. The company *rolled out* its new product line this month.
22. He *stepped down* as CEO after the scandal.
23. The hikers *set out* early in the morning.
24. Can you *look after* my cat while I'm on vacation?
25. The police *broke up* the party around midnight.
26. She *took on* too many responsibilities at work.
27. We need to *cut down on* our expenses this month.
28. The new policy *came into* effect last week.
29. He *worked out* at the gym every day.
30. The team *pulled through* despite facing many challenges.
31. She *got along* well with her new colleagues.
32. We should *wrap up* this meeting soon.
33. The criminal *turned himself in* to the authorities.
34. They *called off* the wedding at the last minute.
35. I *ran out of* milk this morning.
36. She *put up with* his bad behavior for too long.
37. The company *scaled back* its operations due to budget cuts.
38. He *made up* a story to explain his absence.
39. We need to *beef up* security measures at the office.
40. The teacher *handed out* the test papers to the students.
41. She *took after* her mother in both looks and personality.
42. The old building was *torn down* to make way for a new mall.
43. He *came up with* a brilliant idea for the project.
44. We should *iron out* these issues before the presentation.
45. The company *bought out* its main competitor.
46. She *stood up for* her beliefs despite facing criticism.
47. The plane *touched down* safely despite the stormy weather.
48. He *fell behind* in his studies due to illness.
49. We need to *catch up on* the latest industry trends.
50. The police *cracked down on* illegal parking in the area.


 

 


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