American Sign Language (ASL) has its own unique grammar structure that differs significantly from English grammar. The basic sentence structure in ASL typically follows a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order, similar to English. However, ASL also employs the use of topic-comment structure, where the topic of the sentence is introduced first, followed by a comment about that topic.
Here are some key points about ASL grammar:
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Topic-Comment Structure: Often, a sentence begins with the topic, followed by a comment. For example, "You, I love" would be signed as "YOU (topic) LOVE (comment)."
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Time Indicators: Time indicators (like "yesterday," "tomorrow," or "now") often come at the beginning of a sentence to establish when the action takes place.
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Modifiers and Adjectives: Modifiers and adjectives generally come after the noun they describe.
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Negation: To negate a statement, specific signs are used (like shaking your head) which may also change the word order slightly.
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Facial Expressions: Non-manual signals, such as raising eyebrows or shaking your head, play an important role in conveying questions or emotions.
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Questions: Yes/no questions usually involve raising eyebrows, and wh-questions (who, what, where, etc.) typically require furrowing the brows.
These aspects can lead to flexible sentence structures, but keeping the basic principles of ASL grammar in mind will help in forming clear and understandable signs.
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