Classifiers Are an Important Part of ASL They Allow the Signer to Create a Three-Dimensional

Classifiers are not unique to ASL or any other sign language. The spoken language, Navajo, uses classifiers in ways almost identical to ASL. Japanese uses classifiers when counting people, objects, and events. But native speakers of English may find classifiers difficult because English has no classifier system.

Classifiers are an important part of ASL—they allow the signer to create a three-dimensional picture. There are MANY different classifiers and some texts label them differently than you see here. The important thing to remember is that a classifier shows the size, shape or movement of something. Always set up the classifier by identify what it is before using it.

Classifier types are:

DCL: Descriptive Classifier

describes an object or a person

LCL: Locative Classifier

representing an object in a place

SCL: Semantic Classifier

vehicle or person

BCL: Body Classifier

classifier enacts the verb

ICL: Instrument Classifier

part of the body manipulates an object like turning a crank

BPCL: Body part Classifier

foot tapping

PCL: Plural Classifier

long line of people

ECL: Element Classifier

water dripping

Glossing Classifiers: NOTES

Example: The buffalo stampeded down the hill.

↑ nod

GLOSS: HILL BUFFALO CL55 Wiggle: stampeded.

Now you try:

1. The car ran over the man standing under the tree.

2. I love sitting by the river and watching the water trickle over the rocks.

3. The Christmas lights twinkled in the dark.

Below you will find many different possible Classifier handshapes and possible sizes, shapes and movements that they can represent.

Practice: Work through the CLs in small groups. Play with your hands and see how they could represent each one. If you can’t SEE it, ask me for help.

Assignment: Choose ten different handshapes and GLOSS one sentence for each. This is homework. Do it on notebook paper and be sure to double space.

Classifier Samples:

CL1

·  A person

·  Thin/long object

·  Walk

·  Stand

·  Run

·  Dance

·  Jump

·  Ascent

·  Descent

·  Sway

·  Pole or stick

·  Pencil

·  Car’s antenna

·  Dog’s tail

·  Windshield wipers

·  People swaying/dancing together

·  Persons/models walking in a fashion show

·  Grass in the wind

·  Cat’s eyes on a clock

·  Ant’s antenna

·  Music metronome

·  Person walking in a depressed way

·  Person skipping or bouncing

·  Worm crawling

·  Old person walking hunched over

·  Medicine or deodorant spray

·  Spinning wheels

·  Spinning

·  Roll

·  A person falling behind in a group

·  A dizzy or drunk person

·  Nervous legs

·  Edgy

·  Shaking legs

·  Polygraph

·  Measure something

·  Beating up a person

·  Something hit a person

·  Fist or head hit a stick or pole

CL2 and CL bent V

·  Looking at each other

·  Love at first sight

·  Follow eyes

·  Surprised after not seeing each other

·  Startled

·  Snake fangs

·  Bug or snail antenna

·  Person following a person

·  Position where two people are sitting

·  Two people hiking down a hill

·  Person on an escalator

·  Praying on knees

·  Bowing

·  Falling to the ground

·  Superman flying

·  A person shot down

·  Jumping

·  Falling into a hole

·  Diving into a deep water cave

·  Fainting

·  Sitting on the side of a pool

·  Mouth dropping open

·  Forklift tossing out hay

·  Swimming

·  Baby crawling

CL3

·  A vehicle

·  Car, bus, truck, train

·  Bike, motorcycle, moped

·  Ship, submarine, cruise

·  Three people in a group

·  Cars bumping into each other

·  Car passing another car

·  Cars racing

·  Car pulling up to another car

CL4

·  Hair spikes

·  Hair straight up

·  Lizard’s hood

·  Hat’s frill

·  Puzzled looks

·  Group sitting for a picture

·  Curly hair becoming straight

·  Perm hair to straight hair

·  Fence

·  People watching me

·  A line

·  Mug shots in a line-up

·  Military marching in a line

CL5 and CL5 wiggle

·  A leaf falling from a tree

·  A snowflake falling

·  Leaf floating in the wind

·  A paper or poster falling

·  Fan

·  Windmill

·  Blowing tree

·  Fan

·  Windmill

·  Blowing air

·  Dragon’s fire coming out of its mouth

·  A flexible moving lamp

·  Spreading out

·  Flocked to

·  Distribute

·  Scatter

·  Everyone looks up at a tall person

·  Blanket toss for kid’s game

·  Lots of snow

·  Sweating

·  Glory from God

·  Perspiration

CL5 Claw

·  Hair bun

·  Sunny

·  Fan

·  Lump

·  Flower or spider

·  Eye patch

·  Band-aid

·  Swelling eye

·  Bee sting

·  Fat/thick/chubby

·  Broken egg

·  Mansion

·  Objects in a row

·  Apples in a line

·  Bushes by a porch

·  Measles, mumps, hives

·  Freckles

·  Chicken pox,

·  Pimples

·  Bugs or spiders crawling all over

·  Looking to the light in the dentists chair

·  Hanging lamp

·  Hanging plant

·  Satellite video

·  Earth moving

·  Messy room

·  Animal roaring

·  Three scoops of ice cream on a cone

·  Shish kebab

·  Audience

·  Rocks falling

CLA

·  Objects

·  Building

·  Lamp, television, vase, candle

·  House, school, store, church

·  Bottles

·  Scrubbing a shirt

·  Washing objects

·  Two molars clinching

·  Drinking too much

CLB or 2h BB

·  An animal’s ears

·  A hat decoration

·  Animal’s drooping ears

·  Korea’s hat

·  Vampire’s collar

·  Walk

·  Stand

·  Skip

·  Dance

·  Stand pigeon toed

·  Tiptoe

·  Limp

·  Feet trolling

·  Car window going up or down

·  Gat opening or closing

·  An overhead screen

CLC and CL bent L

·  A large round thin flat object

·  Silver dollar

·  Large cookie

·  Button

·  Cheerleader’s horn, blowing a horn, yelling through a megaphone

·  Telescope, binoculars, kaleidoscope

·  Elephant’s long nose, unicorn horn

·  Frown

·  Mickey mouse ears

·  Skiing goggles

·  Brain scanner

CLF

·  Too many flies

·  Dizzy

·  Disoriented

·  Flustered

·  Seeing too many things

·  Staring into space

·  Seeing as one rides a rollercoaster

·  Holes on a sweater, coat, etc.

·  Spots on clothing

·  A birthmark

·  A burn

·  Bubbles

·  Polka dots

·  Tiny flowers/spots all over a shirt

·  Illness spots showing up on a baby

CLG

·  Thin layer of dust

·  Think coat

·  Thick dust

·  Crew cut

·  Short hair

·  Flat top

·  Boarder on a shirt

·  Amount of ice cream left

·  Necklace around the neck

·  Beads

CLH/U

·  A tie

·  Riding in a convertible with a scarf blowing in the wind

·  Animal’s tongue sticking out while running

·  Animal panting

·  Bow tie

·  Stripe on a shirt

·  Boarder on a shirt

·  A belt

·  Camouflage

·  Mask

·  Black marks on a face

·  Indian painting

·  Band-aids

CLI

·  A pair of high heels

·  Skinny legs

·  Walking awkward in new shoes

·  Too skinny

·  Very fine line

·  Emaciated

·  Slender

·  String

·  Rope

·  Yarn

·  Spaghetti noodles

·  Boarder

CLO

·  Two or more poles

·  Jail, prison

·  A cage

CLO→5

·  Headlights, blinking, flashing lights

·  Flower blooming

·  Paper shredding

·  Magic, spells

·  Mouth closed to open

·  Hear inspired

·  Feeling good

·  Seeds beginning to grow

·  Sausage

·  Hot dog

CLR

·  Rollers in hair

·  Perm rollers

·  Twist rope

·  Donut

·  Braid rope

·  Smoking a cigar

·  Holding an object in the mouth

·  Braids

·  tight beads around braids

CLS

·  ball bouncing

·  rock falling

·  falling meteor/asteroid

·  hail

·  rock skipping on water

·  sword fighting

·  Star Wars Fighter

·  Holding a flag

·  Head bent in embarrassment

·  Turtle hiding his head

·  Hide your face

·  Bouncing ball over a fence

·  Volleyball over a net

·  An object over a gate

CLX

·  Eyebrows with a puzzled look

·  Making a facial expression

·  Hanging an object

·  Something to hang up

·  A hook

·  Towing a truck

·  Pulling strings

·  Struggling to pull something

·  Fishing

·  Tug of war with a rope

·  Drink medicine

·  Flip a coin

CLY

·  Animal laying on its side

·  Bulls lined up facing each other

·  Animal shot down

·  Enormous chubby animal being lazy

·  Bulls fighting

·  Goats or rams physically hitting each other

·  Steer bumping into each other

·  Any animal clashing with horns

·  Sumo wrestlers

·  Waddling

·  Elephant walking

·  Heavy person walking by

CLZ

·  Zoom

·  Person walking away quickly

·  Someone left right away

SLG 210: Classifier Group Project Assignment

You will be divided into groups of three. Each group will become an expert on and lecture on the use of 3 classifiers assigned by me.

First…

·  Make a “mini” poster on 8 ½ x 14 paper. On the poster have…

o  3 examples that classifier could represent the size, shape or movement of.

o  3 examples of each classifier used in a sentence glossed in ASL. You must also be able to sign these examples for the class.

o  QUIZ! Two sentences in English that require the use of your classifiers—one each. Upon completion of your lecture you will call students up to model translating the English sentences into ASL using the correct classifier. You will confirm and correct as necessary.

Next…

·  Create a conversation.

o  Use each of your classifiers 2 times in your conversation.

o  Your group must gloss the conversation and submit it—this does not have to be memorized, but you will need two copies if you need to glance at one while performing. You must each have reasonably equal parts. Your group will be graded on the correct use of classifiers, the quality of signs, fluency and glossing.

Quiz: Once the presentations are finished, students will be tested over which classifiers are to be used to describe specific things. For example, a herd of buffalo running through a valley: CL55.