Interlingual language development
Developing semantic understanding between spoken English and signed languages
Not only is having an expert command of spoken English and signed-language skills requisite to producing transliterated work, connecting these abilities for simultaneous production is also fundamental. A significant portion of this course will be spent on discussing, reacquiring, and synthesizing knowledge and fluency of grammatical skills inherent in both languages.
Here are some bullet points/learning outcomes of which we might want to be aware:
- How does X grammatical aspect manifest itself in signed language and spoken English? How does X differ in both languages and what can I do to create equivalent meaning in both?
- Will my language choices affect the intended register?
- What lessons and principles from spoken English impact my ability to produce a transliterated equivalent?
Readings/Discussions
Oral components of transliteration
Kelly, Transliterating: Show Me The English
Chapter 4 (pp. 37–41) Required
Transliteration: What’s the message? (Winston) Required
(pp. 162–163) Winston’s 1989 article identifies five strategies that transliterators employ in their work; mouthing/oral component is described here.
Winston, E.A. (1989). “Transliteration: What’s the message?” In C. Lucas (Ed.), Sociolinguistics of the Deaf Community, 147–164. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
Readings/Discussions
Parts of speech/Lexicality
The parts of speech
Excellent tutorial from the University of Ottawa Writing Center on identifying simple and complex examples of the eight English parts of speech. Required
Part(s) of speech
Exactly what is says it is: a site dedicated to explaining the eight main parts of speech in the English language. Boom.
Kelly, Transliterating: Show Me The English
Chapter 7–9 (pp. 61–82) Required
Introduction
“Meaning vs. Form” and “Parts of Speech and How They Affect Transliterating,” Kelly, Chapter 7, pp. 61–62
1. Nouns
“Verbs and Nouns” and “Pluralization of Nouns,” Kelly, Chapter 7, pp. 63–65 |
2. Pronouns
“Pronouns,” “The Word ‘Who’,” and “The Word ‘It’,” Kelly, Chapter 7, pp. 66–67 |
3. Verbs
“Verbs and Nouns” and “Modals,” Kelly, Chapter 7, pp. 63–66“The Attributes of Voice” and “Passive and Active Voice,” Kelly, Chapter 10, pp. 85–64 |
4. Adverbs
“Adverbs” and “The Word ‘Now’,” Kelly, Chapter 8, pp. 71–73 |
5. Adjectives
“Adjectives,” Kelly, Chapter 8, p. 71 |
6. Interjections
“Interjections,” Kelly, Chapter 8, p. 73 |
7. Conjunctions
“Conjunctions,” “Coordinating Conjunctions,” and “Subordinating Conjunctions,” Kelly, Chapter 9, pp. 77–79 |
8. Prepositions
“Prepositions,” “The Word ‘To’,” “The Word ‘Of’,” and “The Word ‘By’,” Kelly, Chapter 9, pp. 79–81 |
Linguistic differences between ASL and English (Stringham)
This handout compares and contrasts needed linguistic (or “form”) adjustments for interpreting between ASL and English.
”The bright red dog plays fetch in the park.”
Short video explaining parts of speech and their inclusion in things like noun, verb, prepositional, and adverbial phrases.
Diagramming English Sentences
How to diagram (English) sentences
Something with which I grew up but you likely didn’t. Diagramming helps us understand how words you speak/hear (think interpreting/transliterating) are defined and how they impact other words in the sentence, paragraph, and dialog. (The More You Know)
Sentence diagrams
Diagramming sentences
One of the most comprehensive explanations of how sentences (and complex sentences) are diagrammed.
A picture of language: The fading art of diagramming sentences
How the once-common and popular way to teach grammar has largely disappeared. Come for the article; stay for the comments.
Readings/Discussions
Fingerspelling
Kelly, Transliterating: Show Me The English
Chapter 5 (pp. 43–49) Required
Understanding Fingerspelling and Lexicalized Signs (Stringham) Required
Readings/Discussions
Modifying source language
Kelly, Transliterating: Show Me The English
Chapter 3 (pp. 23–32) Required
Linguistic Differences Between ASL and English (Stringham)
This handout compares and contrasts needed linguistic (or “form”) adjustments for interpreting between ASL and English.
Contextualization strategies (Stringham)
This handout discusses miscues we make while interpreting and explains ten types of contextualization strategies.
Interpreting Culturally Rich Realities: Research Implications for Successful Interpretations (Cokely)
This is a pre-published version of this article by Dennis Cokely, Dean of the ASL Program at Northeastern University, regarding meaning in ASL vocabularies and interpretations. (Published citation/reference: Cokely, D. (2001). Interpreting culturally rich realities: Research implications for successful interpretations. Journal of Interpretation, 2001.)
Readings/Discussions
Name signs, initialized signs, depicting verbs
Kelly, Transliterating: Show Me The English
Chapter 5 (pp. 45–46) Required
Origins, Formations, Rules, and (Mis)Usage of ASL Name Signs (Stringham) Required
“My Name is A-on-the-cheek”: Managing Names and Name Signs in American Sign Language/English Team Interpretation Required
Understanding Fingerspelling and Lexicalized Signs (Stringham) Required
The use of numbers in American Sign Language (Stringham)
Readings/Discussions
Using space, reflexive/indexing, pronominalization
Kelly, Transliterating: Show Me The English
Chapter 6 (p. 53); Chapter 7 (pp. 65–67) Required
ASL-English interpreters and -self/SELF forms: A description of source and target language production (Nicodemus & Dicus) Required
Nicodemus, B. & Dicus, D. (2015). ASL-English interpreters and -self/SELF forms: A description of source and target language production. Journal of Applied Psycholinguistics, 15(1), 9–23.