What, When and How to Use ASL Classifiers

 By Brenda Liebman Aron          2005

 I.  What is American Sign Language Classifiers?

 A. Definition:

Classifiers are designated handshapes and/or rule-grounded body pantomime used to represent nouns and verbs. The purpose of the classifier is to provide additional information about nouns and verbs such as: location, kind of action, size, shape and manner.  ASL has many classifier handshapes to represent specific categories or class of objects.

 ASL uses the classifier system to give descriptive information about a subject or predicate (verb). This descriptive information is divided into six main categories.

 They are the following:

 1. Size and Shape Specifiers (SASSes) they describe certain physical characteristics such as size, shape, depth and texture of a noun as well as indicate its location in space.
 

CL: 1 represent something that is round and thin like a pencil, a tree sapling, etc.

CL: B: can represent a paper, a book or a pie. Palm orientation is often important here, if  the palm is down, it indicates the object is facing down. 

CL: V: is made with a bent V can represent a chair, or a person who is seated.

Also: CL: G trim, CL: C cup or cookie, CL: F small & round object etc.

 2. Semantic Classifiers: that represent nouns and can indicate the location of that noun and it’s actions, that is, they stand for a particular group of nouns i.e., the ASL classifier CL: 3 can represent an inanimate land or water conveyance like a car, bus, truck, motorcycle, boat or submarine but not a horse or a person. There are some that are not represented by their iconic characteristics but are abstract representations.

 Some examples of  Semantic Classifiers:

CL: 3: a moving conveyance

CL: 1 represents a person and the action of the person, can also represent the haunches and movement of various animals.

CL:V upside down indicates a person and the action of the person i.e., walking

 3. Body Classifiers: Using the body to represent a look or action i.e., a bird flying, a man with a 6 pack muscular body, a person behaving drunkenly, etc.

 4. Body part Classifiers: Describe parts of the body (usually the lower part of the body such as legs or feet) and its action by using designated handshapes and appropriate movements. The handshapes (representing the lower body parts) seem to be used when it is important to the story line to be focused upon and described for clarification or enhancement purposes. For example, describing how a nervous person at the doctor’s office would keep swinging her leg. Body part Classifiers can represent objects on the body i.e.  fancy sunglasses, a pierced nose, or a moustache etc.

 5. Instrument Classifiers: describes how objects are handled or manipulated. The classifier adds specific information to the predicate meaning. There is agreement between the physical/visual characteristics of the object being handled and the handshape i.e., steering a wheel, hammering a nail, throwing chalk at someone etc.

 6. Locative Classifiers are classifiers that indicate the spatial relationship between two or more things. Locative classifiers serve a similar purpose as prepositions in English such as in, on, under, behind, above etc. however because ASL is a spatial language, it incorporates the information by using a classifier ins spatial relationship with another classifier i.e., the English sentence: The car is parked by the tree would be signed thus:

(Using one hand, #CAR CL:3, TREE then the other hand will  show: CL: 5 for TREE next to the car to show the spatial relationship between the car and the tree.

 There are also sub categories of Classifiers that can be applied to any of the main category of classifiers:

 a. Plural Classifiers: Indicates more than one object. Singular classifiers can be signed in repetition to show pluralization. If it is done mainly with the dominant hand, it represents a set or a row of things ie books or trophies on a bookshelf; if it is done with alternating hands, it shows that it is arranged haphazardly or in different places. There are two categories: specific number classifiers ie 3-of-us or non-specific number classifiers, books in a row.

 b. Descriptive Classifiers (DCL) often acts like adjectives. ASL classifiers that represents nouns tend to represent a wide variety of things as the focus is to show the relative locations and movements of the things they stand for. The purpose of descriptive classifiers is to describe the particular size, shape, depth and/or texture of something as well as give it a relative location in space. i.e., something which is small, round and does not have much depth: a coin, a piece of candy, small cookie etc. CL:F and the action i.e., I saw a penny on the floor and I picked it up would be signed: ME NOTICE FLOOR PENNY, ME CL:F pick-up or The priest put a bread wafer in my mouth. PRIEST BREAD CL:F in my mouth. Different sizes of columns may be indicated by using CL: F (2h), CL: L-C (2h), or CL: C-C (2h)

 c. Element Classifiers: Classifier describing the look and action of the elements i.e. gas, air, liquid, fire chimney blowing smoke, a waterfall, a roaring fire etc.

 B. Charactertistics of Classifiers:

bulletClassifiers are integral part of American Sign Language. Classifiers represents a class of nouns and are used somewhat like pronouns.
bulletTwo handed classifiers can be used to represent different referents showing location and action.
bulletClassifiers can be used as action verbs.
bulletClassifiers can show spatial relationships.
bulletClassifiers can show orientation of objects.
bulletClassifiers can give information about singularity or plurality.
bulletClassifiers called SASSes give size, shape, depth, shape and texture information about the object.
bulletThe upper body can be used as a classifier.
bulletClassifiers can show how objects are used or handled.
bulletThe whole body can be used as a classifier through pantomime.
bulletLocative Classifiers provides spatial and directional information.

C. Functions of Classifiers:

bulletRepresents nouns and pronouns
bulletSASSes-represents descriptive adjectives and adverbs
bulletNumber information-represents singularity or plurality.
bulletOutlining-represents shapes and details that cannot be handled by SASSes
bulletLocatives represents directional information and spatial relationships
bulletMovement- represents the direction of how a classifier moves.
bulletInstrument Classifier-represents how an object is handled
bulletBody Classifier can represent nouns and the action of those nouns.

 II. When do we use ASL Classifiers?

We use ASL classifiers whenever we describe an object; an action or something that occurred; to give directions, to share information about the surroundings; and/or as part of a story i.e., to set the scene or to share characteristics etc.

 There are some basic rules:

bulletTo designate the referent of a classifier, a signer must either fingerspell or sign the referent before the classifier can be used. i.e, BALL  GREEN YELLOW STRIPES.
bulletTo choose an appropriate classifier, there must be a relationship between the referent and the descriptive nature of that specific classifier.
bulletTo use SASSes appropriately the signer must incorporate proper non-manual signals.
bulletTo choose appropriate classifiers depends upon the referent and the signer’s intent of focus.
bulletTo use classifiers appropriately there should be a relationship between “the real world experience” and how the classifiers are expressed.

III. How-to’s: As shown above, there are categories and certain rules in using the correct classifier.  You will be given an opportunity to try and describe using ASL classifiers with pictorial images. Later we will try to interpret English sentences into ASL which requires the use of some classifiers. We often use different categories of classifiers interchangeably I.e., using body CL, bodypart CL and SASS etc.

 Let’s Have Fun Trying and Learning Together!

Interpret English to ASL Sentences:

 Activity 1: Which classifier would you choose for the following items:

1.buttons                                                      11. scar on arm

2. toothbrush                                                12. a drinking straw

 3. dress with polka dots                              13. brushing your hair

 4. a V neck top                                             14. taking off your glasses

 5. coins                                                           15. sharpening a pencil

 6. two people walking along a path             16. a long hallway

 7. a thick tree trunk                                         17. a tree being chopped

 8. a person walking with a limp                   18. a staggering walk

 9. racing bike handles                                     19. a cat sneaking around

 10. toes wiggling in the sand                           20. carrying a big dog

Activity II: Which classifier would you use to interpret these English sentences into ASL?

 1. The car is parked in front of  the tree.

 2.  I saw Fred coming toward me.

 3. She has two necklaces (of differing lengths) on.

 4. Please hand me the dictionary.

 5. He drank his mug of beer in 15 seconds!

 6. The house has four pillars in front.

 7. I saw six birds sitting on a telephone line.

8. The automatic sliding glass door kept opening and shutting. (It     was broken).

 9. There were four people following a leader through the maze.

 10. The little boy struggled through the deep snow.

 11. Would you please fine tune the radio?

 12. Take the full soup tureen to the table.

 13. The top shelf has trophies, the middle shelf has books and the bottom shelf has stacks of paper.

 14. A bird was sitting on a tree.

 15. I saw a house being built on top of a hill.

 16. Do you eat pizza with your fingers or with a fork?

 17.  A lion was pacing back and forth in his cage.

 18. I watched the motorcross race across rough terrain.

 19. The kids were laughing as they sledded down a snowy hill.

 20. Please flip the burgers.

 21. I saw a person walking in circles.

 22. This guy has a hat with many political campaign buttons on it.

 23. As a wedding gift, they got a set of juice glasses.

 24. The sculpture is unusual. It is a huge mound with many  straight     and zig zag lines going every which way on it.

 25. There were three pictures on the wall, one is hung crookedly.

 26. Have you ever drunk coffee from a demitasse cup?

 27. The submarine submerged and you can only glimpse a small periscope in the water.

 28. The frightened horse galloped and jumped over a fence. The rider fell off but luckily landed on thick brush.

 29. The young boy struggled through the marshy swamp.

 30.  The old crooked man walked slowly down the street.