Mouth morphemes and nonmanaual communication

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Southern

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I start my ASL classes in less than a month WOO HOO!! I have been signing for 3 or 4 months now but this will be ASL 1. I try to learn something new every time I am with my deaf friends. I recently learned 3 new things from one deaf friend. She was eating and I asked if she liked it. She did something that in the hearing world means no it’s gross. One nostril curl up. Later I was eating the same thing and some one asked me if I liked it and I said yes, she said, me too. I said no you told me you didn’t like it. She said no I said YES. Um when?? So that is when I learned that nostril curl up means YES rather than no as it does in the hearing world. That same night I learned WHAT is both nostrils, and I KNOW is tapping the tongue twice on the top teeth. How I remember it is it looks like LA LA to me. LOL anyways I would like to know some more. I know these are important to ASL and I have begun to incorporate them into my signing. I only know 3 so far please help with more! THANKS!!!!!!!!!
 
aslpro.com have a section on many mouth morphemes. but associating with the deaf will help you know when to use them properly. If you learn more please keep posting. It is a very important factor in asl grammar.
 
Southern said:
I start my ASL classes in less than a month WOO HOO!! I have been signing for 3 or 4 months now but this will be ASL 1. I try to learn something new every time I am with my deaf friends. I recently learned 3 new things from one deaf friend. She was eating and I asked if she liked it. She did something that in the hearing world means no it’s gross. One nostril curl up. Later I was eating the same thing and some one asked me if I liked it and I said yes, she said, me too. I said no you told me you didn’t like it. She said no I said YES. Um when?? So that is when I learned that nostril curl up means YES rather than no as it does in the hearing world. That same night I learned WHAT is both nostrils, and I KNOW is tapping the tongue twice on the top teeth. How I remember it is it looks like LA LA to me. LOL anyways I would like to know some more. I know these are important to ASL and I have begun to incorporate them into my signing. I only know 3 so far please help with more! THANKS!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...

I'm very confused!
 
LuciaDisturbed said:
I'm very confused!
Click to expand...
lucia,

when someone talk to me then when I am like "yeah yeah" without saying anything.. I would move my nose muscle up and down and sometime at the same time nod my head slightly.

you know the other one, like as in "interesting mm mm mm"
not using voice "mm" but mouth movement. (maybe a little smacking sounds) so bottom lip will extend up over top lip then it is up and down movement. at the same time use "I see" sign (the Y up and down movement)


hope that helps?
 
Good catch, Southern!!

But it shows that they are comfortable around you. I had a long-time hearing friend since 4th grade (different schools, etc but always stay in touch), and in 10th grade, we got a class together at the same school-- so we were talking (in ASL ofc) and she asked me a yes/no question-- so I twitched my right nostril and she noticed it for the first time--"WTF?? Why did you twitch your nose??? Does it mean YES in ASL???"
I had to explain that it is just.... a way of Deaf's expressions. Like in India, they shake their head from side to another side for "yes".
Same thing.

Other things you may notice-- the mouth movements of "PAH" for finally, "poo'ed" for over-my-head (literally: past my eyes), "cha" for thick/big/large-scale, or facial expressions of "wh" questions to have your eyebrows down while the y/n questions are eyebrows up...

Ah you will cover all bases in your ASL classes!
 
Yeah I know I will but I start them in almost 3 weeks, which isn’t a long time….. but it is!! LOL I sign in english though it will be great to sign correctly, (In ASL). Yes the “wh” shape of the mouth when signing, who, what, when, where, and how I knew and have done for a while. Something that I picked up on from being with my friends is the inhale on certain ones, who especially. Sign who, form the mouth in the “wh” shape and inhale. I thought just one person did that when I first noticed it but now notice more and more of my Deaf friends doing it. Also in two, I noticed a friend make the same sound when signing two. I never noticed it with him before and will have to see if more people do it before I pick it up. I know everyone has their own styles.
Aslpro.com I love. I cannot wait for my classes.
Anyone else have some to share??
 
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