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What are two examples of the belief that many mouth movements in ASL strongly resemble their spoken English counterpart?

1 Answer

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Final answer:

Some mouth movements in ASL resemble their English counterparts through non-manual signals and manual movements, such as mouthing the word 'book' with a lip shape reflecting the 'oo' sound or aligning hand movements with syllables in 'birthday.'

Step-by-step explanation:

The question refers to examples where mouth movements in American Sign Language (ASL) resemble those used when speaking English words. In ASL, non-manual signals (facial expressions, mouth movements, etc.) often correspond to spoken language sounds.

Two examples of this phenomenon include:

  • Mouthing: When signing certain words in ASL, signers might mouth the English word. For instance, when signing 'book,' some signers might shape their mouth as if saying 'book' in English, which looks like a little pucker or an 'oo' shape with the lips.
  • Manual movements aligning with spoken sounds: Some ASL signs require manual movements that can mimic the number of syllables or stresses in the spoken English counterpart. For example, when signing 'birthday,' the hand movement for 'birth' might align with the stressed syllable and the movement for 'day' with the unstressed one.
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User Matt Felzani
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