How To Gloss In Asl

Mastering the Art of ASL Glossing: A Comprehensive Guide

Glossing American Sign Language (ASL) involves writing out the signs used in a conversation or text in a way that's easily understandable to those unfamiliar with the language. It bridges the gap between the visual modality of ASL and the written word, making signed conversations accessible to a wider audience. This comprehensive guide will take you through the intricacies of ASL glossing, covering everything from basic techniques to advanced considerations, ensuring you become proficient in this crucial skill.

Understanding the Purpose of ASL Glossing

Before diving into the how, let's clarify the why. ASL glossing serves several crucial purposes:

• Accessibility: It allows individuals who don't know ASL to understand signed conversations, making information more inclusive. This is vital in educational settings, healthcare, legal proceedings, and many other areas.
• Transcription and Documentation: Glossing provides a written record of signed communication, vital for research, archiving, and legal purposes.
• Learning and Teaching: For ASL learners, glossing helps to connect the visual signs with their written representations, aiding in vocabulary acquisition and comprehension.
• Linguistic Analysis: Glossing allows linguists to study the structure and grammar of ASL more effectively.

Basic Principles of ASL Glossing:

ASL glossing isn't simply a direct translation. It's a system of representing the signs, not the meaning, in a written format. This is crucial because ASL’s grammar differs significantly from English. A direct word-for-word translation would often be inaccurate and misleading.

• Capitalization: Capital letters represent individual signs. For example, HELLO represents the sign for "hello". Unlike English, capitalization does not indicate proper nouns in ASL glossing.
• Spaces: Spaces separate individual signs. HELLO YOU represents two distinct signs.
• Punctuation: Limited punctuation is used, primarily to indicate grammatical structures or pauses. For example, a comma (,) might suggest a slight pause, but overuse should be avoided.
• Numbers: Numbers are typically glossed using their numerical representation, for example, 1, 2, 3, etc. However, some specific numerical signs might use their capitalized form, depending on context.
• Fingerspelling: Fingerspelled words are enclosed in parentheses, for example, (APPLE). This is important to distinguish fingerspelling from signs.
• Non-manual Markers: Non-manual markers (facial expressions, head nods, body language) are critical parts of ASL communication but challenging to gloss. Often, annotations are used to represent them, such as [smile], [frown], or [head nod]. However, consistency in these annotations is crucial.
• Classifiers: Classifiers, which represent objects or concepts through handshapes, are often glossed with a descriptive term in brackets, for example, [CL:FLAT] for a flat surface or [CL:TALL] for something tall.

Advanced Techniques and Considerations:

Mastering ASL glossing goes beyond the basics. Several advanced techniques can improve the accuracy and clarity of your glosses:

• Handling Idioms and Figurative Language: ASL, like any language, has its own idioms and figurative expressions. Glossing these requires careful consideration of the intended meaning, often requiring more than a simple direct representation. You may need to add explanatory notes to clarify the meaning.
• Dealing with Regional Variations: ASL has regional variations, affecting both the signs themselves and their usage. Being aware of these variations and specifying the regional dialect when appropriate is crucial.
• Using Linguistic Annotations: For more in-depth glossing, particularly for linguistic analysis, more detailed annotations might be necessary to capture aspects like grammatical relations, aspects, and temporal information.
• Developing a Consistent Style Guide: Maintaining consistency in your glossing is essential for readability and comparability. Develop your own style guide addressing aspects like capitalization, punctuation, and the handling of specific signs or structures. Following established glossing conventions will greatly aid your consistency.
• The Importance of Context: The context of a signed interaction significantly affects the interpretation of signs. Providing sufficient context around a gloss is vital for clear understanding. This could involve including a brief description of the situation or the speakers.

Step-by-Step Guide to Glossing an ASL Sentence:

Let's break down the process with an example sentence: "I went to the store yesterday and bought apples."

1. Identify the Signs: First, you'd break down the sentence into its individual ASL signs: I GO STORE YESTERDAY AND BUY APPLE.

2. Capitalize and Space: Write each sign in uppercase, separated by spaces: I GO STORE YESTERDAY AND BUY APPLE.

3. Consider Non-Manual Markers: Observe any facial expressions or body language used during the signing. For example, if the signer uses a specific facial expression to emphasize "yesterday," you might add a note like: I GO STORE YESTERDAY [emphasis on yesterday] AND BUY APPLE.

4. Handle Grammatical Structures: In this simple sentence, the word order closely resembles English. However, in more complex sentences, ASL’s different grammatical structure would necessitate a different approach that takes into account the spatial arrangement of signs and use of classifiers.

5. Review and Refine: Once you've created the gloss, review it to ensure clarity, accuracy, and consistency with your style guide.

Example of a More Complex Gloss:

Let’s consider a sentence that demonstrates more advanced ASL features: "The big red car went quickly down the long hill."

A possible gloss might look like this:

BIG RED CAR [CL:CAR] GO QUICKLY DOWN HILL [CL:HILL, LONG]

Here, we use classifiers ([CL:CAR] and [CL:HILL]) to represent the car and the hill visually. The gloss emphasizes the visual aspects of the signing process, reflecting the gestural nature of ASL.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

• Is there a standardized system for ASL glossing? While there isn't one universally accepted system, many conventions exist, and consistency within a given project or context is key. Various dictionaries and linguistic resources offer guidelines.
• How do I learn the signs for accurate glossing? Learning ASL signs involves practical experience through classes, online resources, and immersion. Dictionaries and online sign language resources are valuable tools.
• How do I handle signs that don't have direct English equivalents? This is where understanding the underlying meaning becomes crucial. Sometimes, you'll need to use descriptive phrases to capture the essence of the sign.
• What software can assist with ASL glossing? While specific software dedicated solely to ASL glossing is limited, word processors and note-taking apps can be adapted. Consistency in your own self-created style guide is more important than relying on specific software.

Conclusion:

Mastering ASL glossing requires dedication, practice, and a deep understanding of both ASL and English grammar. By following these guidelines, focusing on accuracy and consistency, and continually expanding your ASL vocabulary, you'll develop the ability to effectively bridge the communication gap between the signed and written worlds. Remember, accuracy and clarity are paramount; strive to reflect the nuanced beauty and richness of ASL in your glosses. This process enhances accessibility, aids language learning, and facilitates deeper understanding of the unique structure of American Sign Language. Through consistent effort, you can become a proficient ASL glosser, contributing to a more inclusive and communicative world.