Is American Sign Language Phonetic?

The concept of phonemes in voiced languages can be extended to signed languages, where basic handshapes, movements, and their sequences play a role similar to phonemes in spoken languages. This article delves into how American Sign Language (ASL) organizes its linguistic content and whether it can be considered phonetic.

The Phonetic Structure of Signed Languages

Just as phonemes in spoken languages are organized on a sonority scale, which ranks speech sounds from more consonant-like to more vowel-like based on their sustainability and perceivability, signed languages similarly rank handshapes and movements. In ASL, a sign's basic components can be categorized as follows:

Static finger joint moves: These are the least perceivable from a distance, similar to more consonant-like sounds in spoken languages. Wrist moves: Somewhat more perceivable, analogous to less consonant-like sounds. Elongated hand moves: Most perceivable, like vowels in spoken languages. Body moves: The most perceivable, akin to the emphasis in stressed syllables or phrases.

Thus, both spoken and signed languages have phonological rules governing the sequences of these elements, ensuring coherent communication.

Phonology in Sign Language: The Linguistic Framework

Like all languages, ASL has a core structure consisting of:

Lexicon - the set of words and morphemes in ASL. Morphology - the rules governing the formation of words from morphemes. Syntax - the rules for arranging words into sentences. Phonology - the rules governing the externalization of linguistic content through handshapes, movements, and finger positions.

While spoken languages use sounds generated by speech organs (lungs, glottis, tongue, uvula, lips, and teeth) to create phonemes, ASL uses hand movements to generate a set of meaningful segments.

American Sign Language Phonology

ASL phonology can be further analyzed to understand the organization of its linguistic content. A sign in ASL can consist of:

Handshape: The configuration of the hands at the beginning of a sign (e.g., palm-up, palm-down). Location: The position of the hands in relation to the signer's body or space. Orientation: The directional movements of the hands (e.g., forward, backward). Movement: The specific movement of the hands during the sign. Palm Orientation: The orientation of the palm during the sign.

These components combine to create a sign that can be breakable down into segments that are meaningless when isolated but take on meaning when combined. For example, a sign that uses a /k/ handshape combined with movement and orientation to form the sign for car in ASL.

Conclusion

The phonological structure of ASL is rich and complex, providing a framework for the meaningful creation and comprehension of signs. While ASL does not use a writing system, its phonological organization is crucial for its effectiveness as a language. Understanding the phonological aspects of ASL helps in recognizing its phonetic properties, making it a phonetic language in its own right, much like spoken languages.

Keywords: American Sign Language, Sign Language Phonology, Phonetic Properties