Signing "If" when meaning "What is...?"

Goldaline

Goldaline

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I work at a daycare centre for Deaf/HOH children and CODAs, and most of the teachers are Deaf. I've noticed that they all use the sign for "If" when they're asking the kids to tell them what something is. For example, if we're talking about the calendar, the teacher will point to the word Wednesday and sign "If?"

Does the sign have more than one meaning or is this just something in ASL that doesn't make much sense in English?

Moved to Sign Language & Oralism
Moderator naisho
 
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I was thinking of the sign of a scale where you balance two different weights when you said "if". In the example you gave us, we would use "suppose" so yeah sometimes we would mouth the word "if" when we sign "suppose". Your example, the teacher would said in English... "Suppose it is wednesday...".
 
OK, we need to clarify, which "IF" sign are the teachers using?

1. Lexicalized I-F

2. The pinkie of the I-hand tapping below the eye (what if)

3. The sign similar to JUDGE
 
I think this sort of thing is an issue for learners of any language. When you learn a word/sign with one meaning, it's easy to tie it too closely with that word in your native language and assume that it's used the same way. Then it's confusing when you see the usages that don't overlap. When you realize what the "true meaning" of the word or sign is and how it fits into the grammar/logic of your target language, it's like moving into the pool to swim instead of clinging to the edge. :)
 
I'm still confused ... why would you sign "Suppose/if" and then point to something as a way of asking "what is it"? If I want a kid to tell me what the thing on the table is called, I would sign "suppose/if" and point to the lamp and expect them to answer with "lamp!"? Why not just sign "what" then point to the item? Or am I just completely misunderstanding?

I have long been trying to understand ASL grammar. Help! lol
 
I agree. I think we're missing some of the context here, because I've personally never seen the IF sign used on its own to ask "WHAT IS". That's what the WHAT sign is for!
 
Lily7 said:
I'm still confused ... why would you sign "Suppose/if" and then point to something as a way of asking "what is it"? If I want a kid to tell me what the thing on the table is called, I would sign "suppose/if" and point to the lamp and expect them to answer with "lamp!"? Why not just sign "what" then point to the item? Or am I just completely misunderstanding?

I have long been trying to understand ASL grammar. Help! lol
Click to expand...

Hi Lily, It might help if you remember that ASL is not English therefore English translations often are confusing. Years ago people said AS was "bad English." While we know that it has been proven that ASL is NOT English but rather a language of its own I wonder sometimes if that old idea is still lurking around. We give specific signs for specific objects but still you need to remember ASL is also conceptual. The suppose/if sign in the example above is conceptually being used as "what, imagine, guess. Again don't dwell on the English meaning and grammer but rather the concept and meaning of what you are trying to say.
confused yet??? LOL :lol:
 
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Lily7 said:
I'm still confused ... why would you sign "Suppose/if" and then point to something as a way of asking "what is it"? If I want a kid to tell me what the thing on the table is called, I would sign "suppose/if" and point to the lamp and expect them to answer with "lamp!"? Why not just sign "what" then point to the item? Or am I just completely misunderstanding?

I have long been trying to understand ASL grammar. Help! lol
Click to expand...
I think one of the most important things anyone learning any new language can do when these confusions arise is to re-look at the idioms and phrases you might take for granted. For example, what sense does it make that we drive on a PARKway? Or that one might park in the DRIVEway? There are a lot of examples of words and phrases that do not literally mean what they mean to the native speaker. It is the way we use the tools at hand that change a language from a stagnant set of rules to a vibrant culture.

Sometimes the "rules" just don't fit what happens in real-world usage.
 
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