Topic: The use of topicalization to avoid use of prepositions functioning as
adjectival modifiers can be a waste of time and effort
[By William G. Vicars, EdD, 1/30/2026]
Question:
Can the following sentence be considered an acceptable ASL syntax example?
"I LIKE COFFEE WITH CREAM."
Situation:
A student posted a video in which she signed:
I LIKE COFFEE WITH CREAM
She then mentioned in her text comments that the sentence "I LIKE COFFEE WITH
CREAM" isn't in ASL syntax.
She claimed that she should have signed the concept of "I like coffee with
cream" as COFFEE WITH CREAM I LIKE.
An other person commented that prepositions aren't used as commonly in ASL as
they are in English.
Discussion:
While it is generally believed that ASL often tends toward depiction rather than
using separate preposition signs -- in this "coffee with cream" example the word
"with" (or sign "WITH") isn't functioning as a common preposition but rather it
is functioning as an "adjectival modifier."
While it would be imprecise to call "with"
an adjective but in this situation it is filling an adjectival function.
In other words, "with" is being used to
modify the noun "coffee" by specifying exactly what kind of coffee you like.
In ASL a adjectives (describing
physical characteristics) can usually stand alone before a noun or be placed
after the noun (as a predicate adjective "SHE LOOK-[face] HAPPY or as a
postpositive adjective "SHE PRETTY", whereas a preposition always requires an
object of the preposition -- in this case, "cream" -- to make sense.
An actual adjective would be "creamy."
For example: "I like creamy coffee!"
ASL has an interesting adjective "sexy" that is signed as SEX+Y but it is not
common to add a "Y" to CREAM to create "creamy." Maybe someday.
How might we sign "I like creamy coffee" in ASL?
"I like creamy coffee" is one of those situations in which we will likely want
to adjust our syntax (sign order), swap in a more common or appropriate sign,
and/or rely more on context (or some might even use mouthing of the word
"creamy").
To decide how to interpret a preposition such as "with" in ASL -- we need
to consider if we are discussing accompaniment versus "mixture." Coffee
with cream is a mixture, not an accompaniment.
It is not as if the cream is sitting next to the coffee but rather the cream has
been poured into the coffee and the word "with" is functioning as an efficient
way of helping us indicate "Coffee into which cream has been poured."
"Coffee with cream" refers to a mixture. The cream is not just
"sitting next to" the coffee; it is an ingredient added to it.
How might we get the cream into the coffee? We pour it in. Thus
technically we may need or want to use a sign such as POUR-in (after or prior to
indicating CREAM).
An example of external accompaniment would be: "coffee with toast." To
sign "coffee with toast" some approaches include:
1. Use a sign such as WITH or AND
2. Body-shift: sign COFFEE then shift a bit and sign TOAST
3. Spatial placement or depiction of COFFEE with TOAST would not be
efficient but might be effective for something to the effect of showing someone
that you like to dunk your toast in your coffee.
Some approaches to signing "coffee with cream" in ASL:
Option A (Explicit sign WITH) - COFFEE WITH CREAM (Let's not demean
the North American Deaf Community by pretending that the vast majority of adult
Deaf are not familiar with the phrase "coffee with cream" or that any of us
would have any problem whatsoever understanding what the signs COFFEE WITH CREAM
mean.) The ending location of the sign COFFEE may become modified to blend
into the sign WITH. This won't always happen but it might show up in fast
fluent signing. The smooth joining of the final consonant sound of one
word (or segment of a sign) to the initial vowel sound of the next word (or
first segment of the next sign) without a pause is called catenation (or
"linking").
Option B (Explicit sign ADD) - Sign COFFEE? ADD CREAM
Option C (Action / depiction) - Sign COFFEE, then depict pouring cream into the
cup (using a "C" or "Y" handshape pouring into a "C" handshape representing the
cup), then sign CREAM.
Option D (List/Ordering) - Sign COFFEE then CREAM (flat hand moving across
palm), implying the combination by their proximity.
Some approaches to "I like coffee
with cream":
I LIKE COFFEE WITH CREAM.
COFFEE? CREAM POUR, I LIKE!
MY COFFEE? I LIKE CREAM.
I LIKE CREAM MY COFFEE.
CREAM (nodding) [context: the other person
is holding the cream and looking at us with raised eyebrows]
YES (nodding) [context: the other person is
holding the cream and looking at us with raised eyebrows]
KISS-FIST CREAM! [context: the other person
is holding the cream and looking at us with raised eyebrows]
THANK-YOU [context: the other person is
holding the cream and looking at us with raised eyebrows]
"I LIKE COFFEE WITH CREAM" is a fine sentence in ASL.
"Coffee with cream" is also a common noun
phrase in North American society (of which the Deaf living here are a part of).
The moment we break "coffee with cream" phrase into some other phraseology (even
in ASL) -- we are using a "less common" phrase. Less common phrases involve
additional cognitive load. In other words we cause the listener / viewer
to have to work at least a bit harder to figure out our point."
Notes:
If your teacher insists on some other approach then I've had a maxim for that
for over 30 years now:
"Sign the way your local teacher wants until you get the grade you want -- and
then go out into the Deaf Community and sign the way Deaf people really sign."
I suppose I should add to that maxim "... except when they are performing for a
camera or otherwise attempting to appear highly fluent."
Unless you have a specific situation that calls for topicalization of your
object -- the basic syntax of ASL is SVO. Other structures tend to involve more
work.
Thus if is fine if "you" are the subject" and your comment is that you like
coffee with cream. Signing COFFEE? CREAM POUR, I LIKE! -- adds more time and
work in the form of a pause, an extra (unneeded) facial expression, and a vague
expectation that you are next going to announce that TEA WITH LEMON, I DON'T
LIKE -- otherwise why are you making such a big deal about clarifying that it is
COFFEE you like?!?
Some ASL teachers are desperately attempting to portray themselves as "more
skilled" and they mistake avoidance of structures that overlap with English as
evidence of skill in ASL. Thus they overdo it with OSV to the detriment of a
well-rounded adaptable signing style.
Their unfortunate students quite often end up signing in limited, awkward ways
that leave their conversation partners vaguely unsettled.
See:
https://youtu.be/-uYxs-GtPJ0?t=253