How to sign subjects in ASL?

First, understand that, although many people sidestep or even seek to override this basic grammatical point, what is known as "the subject" in English, is, instead, officially, called "the object" in ASL. In ASL, the subject is the one who acts. The object is the thing that is acted with or upon.

(Then, by "subjects", maybe you mean "classes"-- not subjects of sentences?)

In ASL, unlike English, we tend to establish our objects first. (There are practical reasons for doing this that are too lengthy and otherwise incompatible with Y/A to explain here.)

To illustrate, let me borrow from the glossing system-- since I have no other viable way, in a forum such as this, to identify these components. (This is not using glossing correctly. Don't copy me! Your teacher might have a fit.)

S_V___O__

I want coffee.

___O___S__V__

COFFEE I WANT

Zoë has soda.

SODA ZOË HAVE

Justin doesn't have any pizza.

PIZZA JUSTIN HAVE-neg

Officially, English is categorized as an SVO (subject, verb, object) language whereas ASL is an OSV (object, subject, verb) language. (There are many legitimate exceptions to this, in practice, but let's start with this foundation and keep it simple for now. You will build on it, steadily, and learn to modify appositely, as you go.) Syntactically, the two languages are opposites.

The OSV structure is the very feature that renders Signs into a stable language that works-- lending order which is homogeneous and mutually predictable, thereby precluding chaos.

Bret likes Kate.

KATE BRET LIKE

Who likes whom? Does Kate like Bret? Or does Bret like Kate?

If some Signers are using proper ASL grammar while others are using various haphazard types of "signed English" (SE is pidgin-- indistinct gibberish that butchers the grammar of both ASL and English), we cannot be sure. We are left to chronically seek clarification-- or guess. But if we are all executing our Signs properly structured according to ASL grammar, putting objects first, everyone is "on the same page", and there is no room for confusion.

Assimilating the OSV format is tricky for most ASL students in the beginning, only because it is counter to English, but the effort is well-worth it in the long run. Master it early on, and it will become second nature to you.

On to your question--

ASL protocol dictates that titles are code switched; they are fingerspelled, word-for-word. (You would do the same in the case of Spanish-- such as, "El Laberinto del Fauno". You fingerspell it just like that.) No Signs are used. This is practical in two ways. A given Sign can have many potential meanings and/or synonyms; fingerspelling pins it down. That, in turn, allows a Deaf person, should s/he care to, to easily enquire of others on the subject matter in question.

Deafs can and will take liberties, as they know how to do so properly, but newbie Signers should spell-out titles exactly as they read in English-- prefaced at least, offset at most, by quotes.

(QUOTE) W-I-N-D...I-N...T-H-E...W-I-L-L-O-W-S (Some might add 'end QUOTE'.)

Writing a word in all caps means that you Sign it. Writing a word with a series of caps and dashes, as I have done above, indicates that you are to fingerspell it rather than Sign it. (I always put a few spaces between words in titles, when glossing, so that it does not get all jumbled. But Y/A keeps truncating, so I was forced to use "periods" here in order to create some breathing room between terms. Normally, I would not do this.)

In the case of an inventory of titles, such as you are doing, the gloss LIST is used. (The 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 non-dominant hand, itemizing version.)

LIST:

* N-A-T-U-R-A-L...H-I-S-T-O-R-Y (The first "entry" is always on the thumb.)

* C-H-I-L-D...D-E-V-E-L-O-P-M-E-N-T

* D-E-A-F...C-U-L-T-U-R-E

This LIST technique is used only when you are naming three or more entities. If there are two entities, use "pairs shift" instead. (There is no ASL gloss for AND.)

Deviations from these standardized norms are versions of SE or code switching-- not ASL. (Which practices are acceptable among friends in some casual circumstances, dictated by local Deaf adult approval, or when the title is already established or otherwise familiar, but these approaches should not be used by a Terp in a professional setting. [There are many Terps who are unskilled who do resort to using SE. Some Deafs will tolerate this, but many absolutely will not.])

I am Deaf, a native ASL user of more than 35 years, an ASL teacher and tutour, and the authour of educational media.

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