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Introduction
ASL is considered a foreign language, with its own rules of grammar and sentence structure. Like any foreign language, the sentence structure of ASL is very different from English. The following lesson discusses some basic rules of ASL grammar.

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Articles are Not Signed in ASL
An, are, the, of, and by are examples of articles in the English language. Since ASL is a visual language, articles are not necessary for the conceptual meaning of a sentence. Therefore, they are not used. An example of this difference in English versus ASL is:

                           English: I am a student.
                           ASL: I student.

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Topic First
In ASL, the topic is signed first. Since ASL is a visual language, signing the topic first establishes what you're talking about. At the end of this lesson, we'll address Time Signs, an exception to this rule. The following is a comparison example of an English sentence versus the topic first sentence in ASL:

                           English: What is your name?
                           ASL: You name what?

The topic--"you", comes first. You might have noticed that the "what" is at the end of the sentence, this brings us to the next rule of grammar....

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"WH" Signs are Signed at the End of the Sentence
"Wh" signs are "who", "what", "where", "why", "which", "what-for", "what-do", "how-many", "how-much", and "how". These signs are always signed at the end of the sentence. In English we know a question is being asked by altering the pitch of your voice, or using a question mark at the end of the sentence. Since ASL is a visual language, the way to identify that a "wh" question has been asked is to sign the "wh" word at the end of the sentence like a question mark.

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Past Tense and "finish"
To imply that an action has already been completed, one signs the word "finish" either before or after the verb. An example of English versus ASL is:

                           English:  I have seen the movie.
                           ASL:  I finish see movie. or, I see finish movie.

The use of finish implies that you completed the action.

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An Exception to Topic First...
Time Signs are Always Signed First
Didn't I just say the topic was signed first? That's true, unless there is a Time Sign, then there is an exception to this rule. The Time Sign sets the tense of the sentence so you visually know the time period that is being discussed as the rest of the sentence follows. An example is:

                           English: I practiced sign language yesterday.
                           ASL: Yesterday I practice sign language finish.

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Contrastive Sentence Structure
When talking about people, places, or things ("referents") that are not in the immediate signing environment, it is important to establish these referents in specific locations in the signing space in front of you. Referents are established by naming what you are referring to and then designating an imaginary location by pointing to it. Once you set up the location, they can be referred to again by simply pointing to the location. This saves time and also provides a more visual, smooth set-up.

For example, if you set up "Jay" on the right and "Kay" on your left, you should retain the same points of reference as you continue talking about them. As you give additional information about "Jay", point to the space on your right and give the information; it is not necessary to repeat the name, as pointing to that location means "Jay". Similarly, pointing to the space on your left means "Kay".

As you compare or contrast two people, places or things, be sure to shift your head and body slightly in agreement with the space you established for each referent. If you point to the left, shift to the left; if you point to the right, shift to the right.


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