Sign Language American Sign Language 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does the acronym 'SEE' stand for in the context of sign language?
- Signed Exact English (Correct answer)
- Standard Educational Expressions
- Sequential English Encoding
- Signed Expressive English
Correct answer: Signed Exact English
SEE stands for Signed Exact English, a system that represents English word-for-word rather than using ASL grammar.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes 'classifiers' in ASL?
- Handshapes that represent categories of objects or their movement (Correct answer)
- Signs used only by Deaf educators
- A list of approved ASL vocabulary
- The system of numbering signs in a dictionary
Correct answer: Handshapes that represent categories of objects or their movement
Classifiers are handshapes that represent categories of nouns or describe how objects move or are positioned in space.
Question 3: What is the role of 'eye gaze' in ASL?
- It is purely a social courtesy with no grammatical function
- It can indicate referents, turn-taking, and spatial grammar (Correct answer)
- It is used only when fingerspelling
- It signals the end of a signed sentence
Correct answer: It can indicate referents, turn-taking, and spatial grammar
Eye gaze in ASL serves grammatical functions including indicating referents in space, managing turn-taking, and marking certain grammatical constructions.
Question 4: Which organization is the primary liberal arts university for deaf students in the United States, known for promoting ASL?
- Rochester Institute of Technology
- Gallaudet University (Correct answer)
- National Technical Institute for the Deaf
- Clerc Center
Correct answer: Gallaudet University
Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., is the world's only university designed to be barrier-free for deaf and hard-of-hearing students and is central to Deaf culture and ASL.
Question 5: What is 'contact signing' (sometimes called Pidgin Signed English)?
- A formal blend of ASL and Signed Exact English used in classrooms only
- A variety that blends ASL signs with English word order and mouthing (Correct answer)
- Signing used exclusively when in physical contact with the conversation partner
- A system developed to teach hearing people ASL quickly
Correct answer: A variety that blends ASL signs with English word order and mouthing
Contact signing blends ASL vocabulary with English grammatical order and mouthing, often arising in bilingual deaf-hearing interactions.
Question 6: In ASL number signs, how are numbers 1–5 typically oriented?
- Palm facing the signer
- Palm facing outward toward the audience (Correct answer)
- Palm facing to the left
- Palm facing upward
Correct answer: Palm facing outward toward the audience
Numbers 1–5 in ASL are typically produced with the palm facing outward toward the viewer.
Question 7: What is the difference between ASL signs DEAF and HEARING when used as adjectives to describe a person?
- They use the same handshape but different locations
- DEAF moves ear to chin; HEARING is a rotating index finger near the mouth (Correct answer)
- DEAF taps the mouth; HEARING taps the ear
- They are spelled out manually with no dedicated sign
Correct answer: DEAF moves ear to chin; HEARING is a rotating index finger near the mouth
DEAF typically moves from the ear to the chin (or chin to ear), while HEARING uses a rotating index finger near the mouth to suggest spoken language.
Sign Language American Sign Language 3
What does the acronym 'SEE' stand for in the context of sign language?