Baby talk, first language acquisition
A first ASL preposition emerged that I recognized for the first time. The two-year-old (2;5) toddler Juli commented ix-there for father. Did she actually sign for? I asked myself. Sure enough, she did use it again onward.
The toddler Juli watched an adorable cat next to a bowl of water in a large cage in a pet store. Juli told me ix-loc water for cat -- translated as: This water is for the cat.
About a month later (age 2;6), another emergence was the ASL word and that Juli used sometimes, such as ipad and apples (her breakfast at service).
Juli also used the ASL preposition with. Since then, she continued to use for.
One day, I told Juli that she would be going out with her father and me for a pony riding the next weekend. Juli signed with mother and father. I nodded that I would be going too.
There are two types of prepositions in ASL. One is the use of a classifier phrase in which the prepositional information is already embedded in a classifier predicate. The other type is the ASL prepositions independent of the other ASL words, such as "in", inside", etc.
Juli (age 3;0) had used the ASL preposition in lately. For example, Juli wore sunglasses on her face and referred to them, ix-me like ix-these in your house. That is, she enjoyed wearing her sunglasses inside our house.
Another example, frog sticker in father house. For the next weeks, she used "in" reguarly.
New to sign language? "Where do I start?" or "How do I start learning sign language?" This ASL Rookie guide lists some selected links to the tutorials for ASL beginners to get started and keep rolling. It may be a useful review for intermediate-level learners and ASL students as well.
Some tutorial pages are a mix of free and premium versions. Access to premium content and links below are available in the PatronPlus subscription. More links/posts will be added from time to time.
Are you able to carry everyday conversations in ASL? Are you a student in the intermediate levels and beyond, who wishes to boost up your signing skills? You've come to the selected tutorial series. (Some premium content are available to PatronPlus membership.)
Stories, poems, performance arts, etc. in sign language.
This documentation project follows a child's language acquisition, literacy development, and phonological acquisition in sign language, specifically ASL, from newborn to age five in a natural native-ASL environment and visual culture.