Practice Test Geeks(CASLI) Center for the Assessment of Sign Language Interpretation Practice Test
← All CASLI Flashcard Decks

ASL Linguistics Flashcards

7 cards from real CASLI practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 ASL Linguistics flashcards as text

  1. In ASL, a 'buoy' is best described as:

    Answer: A held, backgrounded sign that maintains topic prominence while the other hand signs

    Buoys are signs held passively in space by one hand while the dominant hand signs, functioning as discourse-level anchors to maintain reference or frame information.

  2. What does the linguistic term 'iconicity' mean in the context of ASL?

    Answer: The form of a sign resembles or is motivated by the thing it represents

    Iconicity in ASL refers to a motivated relationship between a sign's form and its meaning, such as TREE visually resembling a tree's shape.

  3. The ASL grammatical marker known as 'POSS' (possessive) is produced by:

    Answer: Directing an open-B palm toward the referent or possessor's locus

    Possessives in ASL are marked by directing an open-B (flat hand) palm toward the locus associated with the possessor in signing space.

  4. Which of the following best describes 'initialized signs' in ASL?

    Answer: Signs that use the fingerspelled letter of the corresponding English word as the handshape

    Initialized signs substitute the first letter of the English word's handshape into an existing sign, such as using a W-handshape for WATER instead of the traditional form.

  5. Role shift in ASL is primarily used to:

    Answer: Indicate that the signer is taking on the perspective of a character or referent in a narrative

    Role shift involves the signer shifting body position, eye gaze, and facial expression to embody a character's perspective, creating direct discourse in ASL narratives.

  6. The distinction between lexical and productive vocabulary in ASL is that productive signs:

    Answer: Are constructed in the moment using classifier predicates and spatial grammar to depict new referents

    Productive vocabulary in ASL is created on-the-fly using classifier handshapes and spatial modifications to depict size, shape, movement, and location of any referent.

  7. What is 'code-switching' in the context of Deaf bilingual communities?

    Answer: Alternating between ASL and another language (e.g., English) depending on context or interlocutor

    Code-switching occurs when a bilingual signer moves between ASL and English (or another language) in response to social context, audience, or topic.