1. The Five Parameters of ASL

2. “Father of ASL Linguistics”
William Stokoe ( )
Worked at Gallaudet University
as the head of the English Department.
As he observed Deaf students and colleagues communicate in sign, he noticed ASL was not just a code for English.
Until 1960, ASL was not accepted as a formal language.
Stokoe’s paper, Sign Language Structure, proved ASL was a language of its own.
One of his most popular contributions was discovering the parameters of ASL.

3. ASL has its own grammar, syntax, and…
Phonology: the study of phonemes, the smallest units of language.
Phonemes in spoken language are equivalent to parameters in sign language.
PHONEMES=PARAMETERS
How these parameters are combined to form a word, and how they interact with each other make language.
►IN ENGLISH= LETTERS MAKE WORDS
Ex: C, A, and T make what words?
cat and act
►IN ASL= PARAMETERS MAKE SIGNS

4. 5 Parameters of ASL
Handshape (H): the shape of your hand that is used to create a sign.
► There are 40 different handshapes used in ASL (refer
to the handout from
► Ex: Open B or Closed 5 (nice, thank you)
► Ex: H (name, hard of hearing)
► Ex: 1 (deaf, boring, sign, go-to)
► Ex: Y (same old)

5. 5 Parameters of ASL cont. …
2. Location (L): the location of the sign on your body In front of your body On your head On your brow or forehead On your eyes or nose On your mouth or chin On your ear or cheek On your neck On your chest, shoulders, or belly On your upper arm On your elbow On the inside of your wrist On the back of your wrist
► Ex: In front of your body (friend, no) ► Ex: In front of face (sleepy) ► Ex: On chin (thank you) ► Ex: On chest (fine, please, sorry)

6. 5 Parameters of ASL cont. …
3. Movement (M): the action used to create the sign. In a circle Up and down Forward Backward Tapping Back and Forth Wiggling
► Ex: Shake (bathroom) ► Ex: Up (what’s up) ► Ex: Tap (Deaf) ► Ex: In a circle (please) ► Ex: Pull back (want)

7. 5 Parameters of ASL cont. …
4. Palm Orientation (PO): position of the palms of your hands and the direction they are facing. Palm facing outward Palm facing inward Palm is horizontal Palm facing left Palm facing right Palm toward palm Palm up Palm down
► Ex: Outward (later) ► Ex: Inward (what’s up, good, happy) ► Ex: Facing left (deaf) ► Ex: Palm to palm (nothing) ► Ex: Palm up to palm down (again, nice)

8. 5 Parameters of ASL cont. …
5. Non-manual signals: facial expressions and body movements added to signs to create meaning. Head nod Head shake Eyebrows Nose Eyes Lips
► Ex: Head nod (yes)
► Ex: Head shake (no)
► Ex: Lips frown (sad)

9. Changing Parameters Changes Meaning
MY vs. BLANK FACE
similar: handshape, palm orientation
different: location, movement
HAPPY vs. NICE
similar: handshape
different: movement, location, palm orientation

10. Now You Try H M PO L
NMS