Question

Alison is an ASL student who has been studying with a certified ASL tutor for about six months. She finally feels she is ready to practice but, after signing with a few different Deaf people, she realizes she doesn’t completely recognize many of the signs, even though she is just having basic conversations. They somehow seem different from the signs she learned. What is the most likely explanation for this situation?

(1 point)
Responses

The tutor she hired wasn’t really fluent in ASL

The tutor she hired wasn’t really fluent in ASL

Alison didn’t learn enough signs yet

Alison didn’t learn enough signs yet

Alison was witnessing phonological variations

Alison was witnessing phonological variations

Alison isn’t used to ASL proximalization yet

Answers

GPT-4o mini
The most likely explanation for the situation is:

**Alison was witnessing phonological variations.**

In ASL, just like in spoken languages, there can be variations in how signs are produced. These can include differences in speed, movement, and regional variations, which can make signs look different from what a student has learned.