Christian LeBlanc says in the combox on the grammar book:
Except for God, the most interesting thing in the world is grammar. Consider that grammar is the operating system for your brain; now speak another language for a bit.
That frisson you get is the brain imagining itself with a whole ‘nother OS.
Hmmn. Maybe so, maybe so.
But look here: Jimmy Akin links to the ASL version of Re: Your Brains. Which is maybe more appealing to certain boys than “Signing Time”. Great way to see the difference in grammar between English and ASL.
Enjoy.
BWAHAHAHA! I saw this for the first time when I brought my boys to the MST3K /Rifftrax production of “Plan 9 From Outer Space.” I ended up playing the song at the last two Halloween parties for my class as well. 🙂
The girls roll their eyes, the boys yell “Cool!”, and I can check the “Language Arts” box as done for the day. 😉
JDM
We’d never even heard the song — though I suspect the spouse will recognize it. My two little girls were going “huh?”, but the big kids keep repeating favorite lines.
(Now need to research “how to make your own kazoo” — for other purposes.)
What I like is that the video shows that ASL is in many ways (if not most ways) a pre-language system of physical, visual communication, with an increase in fineness & sophistication due to the influence of ‘conventional’ written/spoken language.
Well, you just opened a mighty political topic there.
What I see, non-linguist that I am:
-The interconnection with English (or some other written language) is distinctive. Certainly not a stand-alone language separate from a written “anchor-language”.
–> You can sort of see it as the signed counterpart to writing, in that writing doesn’t actually record what we say, but it does communicate enough of what we say to get the message across.
BUT, ASL isn’t “signed English” in the sense that each English word gets a sign, the way written language does. (There exists an animal that is literally signed English. ASL is not it.)
And in that respect it is very distinctive from English. Different word order. Different collection of words — one sign covers a multitude of English words, but then some signs have no English word. And different relationship between the words.
There I think ASL is interesting in how it takes advantage of its medium. In that words can be signed simultaneously, as well as melded together. We play with words a little bit that way in spoken and written language, but ASL takes the idea and runs with with. [Sign for ‘idea’ now scampering across space . . .]
But I think you err a little in calling it “pre-language”, because ASL grammar is, in my limited experience, quite systematic. (Likewise the vocabulary).
Covers a completely different territory than spoken/written English, though. So, kind of wishing the Spaniard would admit some personal responsibility for the spilling the milk, if you are looking for ASL to do exactly what English does, you’re out of luck. And vice-versa.
grammar is the operating system for your brain
I always found it interesting that in Spanish, there is less personal responsibility for some things. You don’t spill the milk; it falls from you. You don’t forget something; it forgets you.
I prefer the Spanish approach. Is it so necessary to assign blame for every bad thing that happens? Sometimes bad things happen and that’s crummy but we move on.
Hehe. Unless you think that what’s wrong with Spain is that no one takes personal responsibility . . .
But I heard there are a lot less lawsuits as a result. So maybe the spanish are on to something.
But I think you err a little in calling it “pre-language”
I mean that an observer knowing nothing of his language, will still get some information: zombie, eat/food, eyes, predatory, facial expressions communicating anger, fear, indecision, questioning, crazy, amusement, thoughtful/reflective, confidence, understanding, agreement…
As compared to me looking look at a written language such Chinese…I get nothing at all.
Ah, okay. Yes. ASL words are sometimes not abstract at all.
Many are. But not all. It would be interesting to test how well people could guess the meaning of given signs.
It is so cool! it would work perfect for a halloween party!
FYI: your blog is great I spend my free time reading it.