Why are classifiers important in asl

For example, the classifier "horizontal 3-handshape" can represent an object in a group of vehicles such as car, truck, bicycle, motorcycle, submarine, etc. In some way, it functions like a pronoun in a predicate. Like pronouns, a noun must be signed before its classifier can be used as a referent. Classifier is not exclusive to sign language. It is also found in spoken languages that have some grammatical means for the nominal classification systems of noun referents.

Though, their properties of classifier system are different. For a starter, here are some some common classifier handshapes that represent some classes of nouns or referents. Again, remember that a noun is first signed before its classifier can be used to represent its referent in a phrase or sentence. The 2-claw handshape in its horizontal position not upright unless the object is upside down can represent a group of pieces such as an animal, a chair, a toilet, a rocking chair, a sitting person, etc.

The classifier handshape with its palm orientation facing down is used to represent such objects as a paper, a table, a bed, etc. The signer begins with the ASL word table and then assigns it a pronominal classifier palm faced down for the table.

Notice that the signer uses the passive non-dominant hand for the classifier because she uses her dominant hand for the next noun CAT. Notice that the signer still holds the passive-handed classifier for the table. The claw-2 classifier represents the cat.

Daniel: Signs that represent classes of objects such as land or water vehicles as a group. DrVicars: Those are some great answers, I think we are getting there.

Anyone feel free DrVicars: Good, right. Let me explain it a bit more for you. If I want to show a person we will call him "Fred" walking and I have established him on my right I can take my right index finger and move it to the left to represent "Fred" walking across the room or wherever. The index finger is in this instance being used as a classifier.

I can also inflect the sign in various ways speed, distance, movement path, non-manual markers, etc. If I add a non-manual marker such as a facial expression it influences the meaning of my classifier.

For example, If I do the CL"walk across the room" sign with a smile It means Fred is happily walking across the room. If I do it quickly It means Fred is hustling etc. Sandy: What I didn't understand in looking at this was - isn't it overly broad? Is it really understood? You have to identify your pronoun before you can use it. Also you have to use it in context. Tigie: How do you know that classifier "F" isn't part of a fingerspelled or initialized word instead of representing a small round thing?

DrVicars: Great question. The answer is context. It is the same way you know the letter O and the number 0 are different. It depends where they show up. DrVicars: I don't expect you all to be experts at classifiers, just want you to know they exist.

DrVicars: Remember this concept: "Show, don't tell. In the case of the bottle cap I would have had to indicate a bottle of some kind before using an f classifier. The only possible meaning for the classifier in the shirt example would be a button, because that was the context. People normally don't wear a row of bottle-caps down the front of their shirts. Sandy: So, classifiers are used later on in the "sentence,"--it makes more sense now.

Heather: Why would you use the "F" sign to show a button popped off? Wouldn't you use a "B? DrVicars: Because the shape of the fingerspelled letter "F" has a round hole representing the shape of a button. Remember ASL is not linking to English it is linking to a concept. A "handshape" and a "classifier handshape" are two different things even though they may look the same.

When you sign "I love you" you are not classifying the person receiving your affection as being of a certain size, shape, usage, or any other general category. However, if you take that same ILY handshape and zoom it through the air as a representation of the specific movement path of an airplane then the ILY handshape does indeed become a "classifier.

If you just hold up an ILY handshape angled slightly downward and move it forward an inch, back and inch and forward an inch using two small movements you have not done a classifier -- you have simply signed AIRPLANE. Suppose though at that point you twist your ILY handshape upside down and do a loop in the air with that handshape? It flew upside down and did a loop. The second sentence uses the word "it" as a pronoun to refer back to the topic and then adds information describing what the airplane did.

In the English sentence the word "airplane" is not a pronoun. It is a noun. The "A" is just a general handshape that has long since become disassociated from any specific type, function, location, shape, or size of business. Classifiers are signs that are used to represent general categories or "classes" of things. They can be used to describe the size and shape of an object or person. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign Up. What are your concerns?

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Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Amber Joy Martin and Maria D. Appendix includes English sentences and ASL glosses.

ASL University - Classifiers. Classifiers in American Sign Language. Handspeak: ASL Classifiers. Student Corner: Classifiers. Related Articles. Resources for Learning Sign Language. Signing Exact English and Syntax.