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Fingerspelling in ASL-to-English Interpreting

Lexicalized Fingerspelling: words that are fingerspelled but undergo a systemic, phonological, morphological, and semantic change
1. Letter Deletion: Word with one or more letters missing (ie: job or back)
2. Special Movement: Fingerspelling with a movement incorporated (ie: early and back)
3. Altered palm orientation: Palm does not face outward all the time (ie job or what)
Overall Shape or Individual Letters
1. Some Deaf people will delete letters in a word but keep the overall shape of the word the same
2. Don't read individual letters, see the shape of the word
3. Individual letters can be seen as individual signs making up one word.
When a Classifier replaces a fingerspelled word
1. Classifier can sometimes replace a fingerspelled word
  1. Must fingerspell word first, the immediately show classifier that will replace the word
2. CL/fingerspelled word or fingerspelled word/CL gives clarity to the meaning of the classifier
3. Fingerspelled words usually nouns so nouns are usually classified
When a sign replaces a fingerspelled word
1. Flagging: Fingerspelled word relpaced by signs
  1. Once sign has been flagged, the replaced English word is kept as the word to use for the rest of the interpretation unless otherwise stated by the presenter
2. Interpreters who work with the same Deaf individual for a while will be familiar with what English words should be attached to a particular sign.
  1. Until that time, a Deaf consumer may flag a sign for the specific English word desired
Name Signs: signed representation of an English name and may fall under two basic types: descriptive and arbitrary
1. Descriptive Name Signs (DNS)
  1. Refers to a physical characteristic used to identify a person
2. Arbitrary Name Signs (ANS)
  1. Follows a system of using the first letter of a persons name placed in a certain location in sign space
    1. ANS in neutral space: Name sign takes the first letter of the English name and is shaken slightly in front of the signer
    2. ANS with a single location on body: name sign takes the first letter of the English name and places it on a location of the body. Contact movement is repeated.
      1. Area used: forehead
      2. Area used: side of the mouth
      3. Area used: over the heart
    3. ANS with a dual location of body: fist letter of the English name taken, the name sign touches two locations on the body
      1. Area used: chin to chest
      2. Area used: forehead to chin
3. Name sign can also be represented by a title or relationship (ie doctor, teacher, or family member)
Fingerspelling accompanied by a description
1. Loan word: No standard sign equivalent in ASL for an English word or term, a Deaf person might fingerspell the English word then give an explaination
2. Interpreter makes the decision to leave out an explanation, 2 questions must be asked
  1. 1. Would an average English speaker be aware of the fingerspelled term and not need the explanation?
  2. 2. Even if the answer is yes to the first question, is there too much "dead air" time in which the interpreter is not speaking, leaving the audience wondering why the interpreter has stopped talking?
Other
1. Fingerspelling used to convey-
  1. Proper Names
    1. People
    2. Places
    3. Movies or Book titles
    4. Brand Names
  2. Name of city or state abbreviations
  3. Specific terms (ie #CHILD)
  4. ASL words with no lexical equivalents
  5. Technical English terms
2. The "3 C's"
  1. Context
  2. Configuration
  3. Closure
3. Using prediction, inference, and background knowledge can help interpreters read finerspelling better
Acronyms and Abbreviations
1. Problem with this is that the interpreter is often waiting for a fingerspelled word or is unfamiliar with the acronyms and abbreviations
2. Listening to acronyms the English speaker uses, look over handouts for acronyms, and becoming aware of acronyms and abbreviations that are common to the field, class, or industry in which the Deaf person is working or involved can help improve the ability to interpret them

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Fingerspelling in ASL-to-English Interpreting

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	Created by StephanieBrosch over 10 years ago