In spoken languages, words are made up of a sequence of sounds. Sounds are classified into two major types: consonants and vowels. Consonants are produced with some degree of restriction or closure in the vocal tract that impedes the airflow from the lungs, while vowels are produced with relatively little restriction of the airflow from the lungs (Fromkin et al., 2011). Conventionally, these consonants and vowels are represented by alphabetical symbols known as the International Phonetic Alphabets (IPA).
For example, the English word cat consists of three sounds: [kæt]. [k] and [t] are consonants, while [æ] is a vowel. Other examples of consonants are: [p], [m], [s], [ʃ], [l]. Other examples of vowels are [a], [e], [i], [o], [u]. Detailed information about the IPA system can be found on the website of the International Phonetic Association (https://www.internationalphoneticassociation.org/content/full-ipa-chart). Individual consonants and vowels do not carry their own meanings, but when they are combined together, they can form a word that carries meaning.
In his earliest publications on American Sign Language, Stokoe (Stokoe, 1960/2005; Stokoe et al., 1965) proposed that, similar to a spoken word consisting of a sequence of consonants and vowels, a signed word can be analyzed as having a simultaneous combination of three phonological elements, namely, location (tab), handshape (dez), and movement (sig). In the sign DRIVE in Hong Kong Sign Language, for instance, the two fists (handshape) perform alternating up-and-down movements (movement) in the space in front of the signer (location). In other words, the handshape, location and movement are the building blocks of a signed word.
DRIVE (HKSL)
Stokoe developed a detailed notation system to capture the possible values of each of these three phonological parameters in American Sign Language. Tables 1, 2 and 3 show the symbols in the Stokoe System (Stokoe et al, 1965: p.x-xii), and the illustrations of these symbols with examples Hong Kong Sign Language and American Sign Language.
Table 1 Location (Tab) symbols
Table 2 Handshape (Dez) symbols
Table 3 Movement (Sig) symbols
The above tables show all the symbols (No. 1-55) created by Stokoe to stand for the handshapes, locations and movements found in ASL. This list is not meant to cover the possible handshapes, locations and movements found in all sign languages. In fact, there are handshapes that can be found in other sign languages but not ASL. For example, the handshape of ON-AVERAGE in Hong Kong Sign Language involves an extended middle finger and a curved index finger.
Example (1): ON-AVERAGE in Hong Kong Sign Language
Handshape for AVERAGE
ON-AVERAGE
Stokoe proposed a system to transcribe ASL signs using his notation symbols. If you are interested in learning how to do sign transcriptions, you can consult his original works or other online resources. Stokoe’s notation system was the first transcription system for lexical signs in the field of sign linguistics. Another widely used transcription system is the Hamburg Sign Language Notation System (HamNoSys). Information on HamNoSys can be easily found online.
References:
- Fromkin, V., Rodman, R., & Hyams, N. (2011). An introduction to language (11th ed.). Cengage.
- Stokoe, W., Casterline, D. C., & Croneberg, C. G. (1965). A dictionary of American Sign Language on linguistics principles. Gallaudet College Press.
- Stokoe, W. (2005). Sign language structure: An outline of the visual communication system of the American deaf. Journal of deaf studies and deaf education, 10(1), 3-37. (Original work published 1960).