Assignments

For 14 December.

Read pp. 51–62. This is the last reading assignment! There’ll be a quiz next week.

Writing Assignment #4
Write a short (approximately 300 word) essay describing something new that you’ve learned about sign languages as a result of this class that you found particularly interesting. Due 11:59pm on Wednesday, December 14th.

For 23 November

Read pp. 93 through 104 in chapter 5. There will be a quiz on this reading at the start of class.

Complete Writing Assignment #3:
Research the classifiers that are used in ASL and another sign language of your choice. What classifiers are used in each language? Is there any overlap? Explain whether the handshapes seem to be iconic, and, if so, how transparent they are. 300 words.

For 2 November

Read sections 9.1 through 9.4 (pp.197–205) in chapter 9.

Complete Writing Assignment 2. This is something like an updated version of WA1, incorporating what you’ve learned about iconicity over the last month.

Find two iconic signs with the same meaning in two different sign languages. (The signs must be iconic in each language.) Describe the parameters of each sign, explaining which parameters are iconic and why. (See pp.271–273 for a refresher on what I mean by this.) Explain how the signs differ across the two languages. Is one more or less transparent than the other? Explain why.

Do not use the signs for tea in ASL and NGT, since we’ve already discussed these in class.

You may refer to any sign language dictionaries for this. Dictionaries for ASL, BSL, and NGT can be found on our Readings page.

For 12 October

By the start of class, you should read sections 11.1 through 11.5 in chapter 11 (pp.251–267). There will be a quiz on this reading at the start of class.

Remember! There’s are no classes scheduled on October 5th.