ERIC Number: EJ1071753
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 29
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0302-1475
EISSN: N/A
A Functional Description of SELF in American Sign Language
Wilkinson, Erin
Sign Language Studies, v13 n4 p462-490 Sum 2013
Past studies have identified the function of SELF as a canonical reflexive pronoun in American Sign Language (ASL). This study examines the use of SELF with fifteen hours of naturalistic ASL discourse framed by the cognitive-functionalist approach. The analysis reveals that the category of SELF is expressed in three phonological forms and exhibits a number of other functions beside the canonical reflexive. In contradiction to previous analyses, this study finds that the use of SELF as a canonical reflexive is minimal whereas the distribution shows 80 percent of SELF tokens as an emphatic. Genres appear to play a role in the SELF usage where the study reports that SELF is frequently expressed in vlogs compared to narratives and two-person conversations. SELF is not best analyzed as a reflexive pronoun as previously claimed but instead can be viewed as a morpheme marking emphatic functions.
Descriptors: American Sign Language, Language Usage, Grammar, Form Classes (Languages), Phonology, Morphemes, Video Technology, Literary Devices
Gallaudet University Press. 800 Florida Avenue NE, Denison House, Washington, DC 20002-3695. Tel: 202-651-5488; Fax: 202-651-5489; Web site: http://gupress.gallaudet.edu/SLS.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A