Inductive reasoning should not replace real world observation when real world
examples abound.
Just because your teacher told you something doesn't make it true. Just because
a book tells you something doesn't make it true. Woe to the student of a teacher
who is prescribing rules that are not reflective of typical / real ASL usage by
the vast majority of socially active native Deaf adult ASL signers in
conversation with other fluent signers.
There exists an insidious problem in the teaching and learning of ASL based on
the viral spread of an overemphasis on teaching a lesser aspect of ASL grammar
to at the expense of a more common aspect of ASL grammar.
What is this problem? An "occasional occurrence" in ASL has been ripped
from its role as a supporting actor and given top billing as the star of the
show. Many teachers have promoted topicalization as THE main word order in
ASL (when it isn't) and have promoted the idea that "rightward movement of WH
questions is critical" (it's not).
Allow me to share the following bit of wisdom by Steven Surrency from his
article "Respecting Language: Sign Language Interpreters as Linguistic
Descriptivists."
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"Formulaic Syntax. Many interpreters, in their zeal to learn and preserve
ASL, often develop an unnuanced, formulaic idea of what ASL is. As a result,
they apply overly simplistic "rules" about what constitutes "pure" ASL. For
instance, such interpreters expect all ASL sentences to use topicalization or
right-movement of wh-questions (wh- question words at the ends of sentences).
Such an approach reveals an incomplete understanding of the wide range of
syntactic variation available in ASL"
[Source: Surrency, S. (Nov.10, 2015) "Respecting Language: Sign Language
Interpreters as Linguistic Descriptivists," Street Leverage, retrieved from
https://streetleverage.com/tag/steven-surrency/ ]
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Bravo! Just bravo!
Oh sure, those of you taking ASL classes from prescriptive instructors (or
texts) should do what you need to in order to get the grade you want. Afterward
-- go out into the real world (after the pandemic) and see with your own eyes
how we communicate with each other.
I encourage you all to read the whole article.
Also see the links in the notes below.
- Dr. Bill
Notes:
See: "Rightward
movement of Wh-questions unnecessary in very short sentences"
See: "Placement of WH-questions"
See: "Sign order in
ASL sentences"
See: The myth of "STORE I GO."