Line in ASL Poetry
Valli
Figure 2 Prose in ASL
The signs shown in Figure 1 are produced in insolation, independent from their surrounding
phonological environment. Contrasted with prose signs, they are more laborious to construct either
expression or reception. Comparing the notation in Figure 1 with that in Figure 2 reveals significant
differences. Use of only one hand to produce the utterance often occurs in spontaneous and rapid
prose. Many segments are deleted. Signs in the sentence are subject to phonological conditioning
in which a segment takes on the characteristics of a neighboring segment. Note in Figure 1 the
features in the first and the last segments of WANT: 5 and 5 (hooked5) respectively. These features
are mostly responsible for influencing neighboring features in I-WANT and GO-TO-STORE in
Figure 2. Also the last segment of GO-TO in Figure 1 reveals the feature, O (flat O) that is strong
enough to absorb the neighboring sign, STORE, in which its handshape shows only O. This is
shown in Figure 2. The repetition of STORE is lost as it is attached to GO-TO. The segments are
deleted as the strong segments of I take over WANT. segments and the strong segments of GO-
TO take over STORE segments. The non-manual behaviors are not included since both examples
are shown as they could be produced neutrally.
Using the notation system to describe features shows the importance of understanding
linguistic functions under various surrounding phonological environments like citation forms and
prose. Which one could ASL poetry fit in? Are lines of ASL poems most accurately notated as
'prose' or as 'citation form'? Notation and the distinction between prose and citation form are
needed for understanding how best to analyze lines of ASL poems. The same portions of the
notation system that have been discussed with reference to everyday ASL conversation can be
applied to ASL poetry, that is, Movement, Hand configuration, and Nonmanual Signals. In this
way, ASL poetry can be analyzed separately from prose forms and citation forms.
The use of the notation system clarifies the concept of a line in ASL poetry. Several lines
from two ASL poems created by two deaf poets illustrate this. Two lines of each poem,
SASLJ, Vol. 2, No. 2 – Fall/Winter 2018
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