UNIT 4 Other Linguistic Aspects of

ISL

4.2 FEATURES OF CONVERSATIONS,

TEXTS AND STORIES IN ISL

T3 ISL Linguistics
Dr. Andesha Mangla
ISLRTC
 Content
1. Discourse and its meaning
2. Some features of conversations:
a. Turn-taking
b. Backchanneling
3. Structural organization of texts
4. Storytelling
• Comparing storytelling in spoken and sign
language

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 I. INTRODUCTION TO DISCOURSE
Levels in a language:

Discourse
Sounds/ (conversat
Sentence
Paramet Words ion,
s
ers stories,
etc.)

DISCOURSE is a unit of language longer than a single

sentence.
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 Discourse
1. Discourse can be spoken, signed or written.
Examples: conversation, interview, newspaper
article, story, joke, advertisement, etc.
2. Each discourse genre has its own language
structure, vocabulary and organization.
Example: TV - News telecast v/s Talk show v/s
Debate

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 Activity 1
Watch the following videos.
1. Dangerous heatwave in India: https://
youtu.be/NNgkuhJVaT0
2. Women’s panel day discussion: https://
youtu.be/LYswBRmunSU
3. The Elephant and the Ant: https://youtu.be/TrWf7gd81xQ
Q. Observe the following in the videos:
A. Structure of the content (beginning, middle, end of the
video)
B. Type of content (facts/opinions/experience/etc.)
C. Are the structures and types of content same or different
in the 3 videos? 5
II. SOME FEATURES OF CONVERSATIONS

1. Turn-taking

2. Backchannel

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 1. Turn and Turn-taking
1. In a conversation, usually, one person speaks at a time.
This is referred to as a turn.
2. Example:
Pradeep: Geeta:
 Hi, how are you?
 I’m fine. You?
 I’m good, thanks.

Number of turns: Pradeep = 2, Geeta = 1

3. In a conversation, one person speaks, then stops and
then another person starts speaking. This is called turn-
taking. 7
 Rules of Turn-taking
1. Turn-taking is indicated by linguistic methods.
Spoken languages: Vocal patterns like intonation,
linguistic structures like questions or other
features like pausing and eye gaze.
Sign languages: Waving/tapping on the shoulder,
speed of signing, holding a sign, indexing, non-
manual markers, etc.
3. The rules of turn-taking are acquired when we
acquire a language in our childhood.
4. Sociolinguistic factors also have an influence on
turn-taking rules. (Think of a classroom
discussion) 8
 Activity 2
Watch the video at the link given below (till 2.30
mins).
https://youtu.be/54IGUmyPDgc
Q. Identify the turns taken by each participant in
the conversation.

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 2. Backchanneling
1. Backchanneling refers to the utterances, noises,
head movements or expressions used by listener to
indicate that they are listening to the speaker.
English examples: ok, yeah, hmm, right or head nods
2. Such backchanneling is not considered an
interruption in the conversation. Backchanneling
indicates that the listener is attentive and wants the
speaker to continue.

Q. What signs/non-manual expressions are used in ISL

for backchanneling? 10
 Activity 3
Watch the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGo5RuEj5
Jo&t=73s
1. Identify the methods (utterances, head
movements, expressions) used for
backchanneling.
2. At what times does interruption occur? Could
the interruption be considered rude?

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 III. STRUCTURAL ORGANIZATION OF TEXTS

1. Texts are organized in different ways and

different linguistic structures are used to organize
the text. For example, in an English lecture or
speech, words like first of all, secondly, so, in the
end, lastly, etc. may be used to organize the
structure of the text.
2. In sign languages as well, linguistic devices are
used to mark boundaries and connect text parts.

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 Structural organization in ISL
ISL examples:
1. Numbers indicated on the hand are often used to
segregate the text into smaller parts as well as
connect those parts together.
2. Signers also use spatial location to mark aspects of
discourse, such as marking a discussion, which is
not directly related to the main topic, by physically
leaning or stepping to the side.
3. Various topics in a lecture may also be given a
location in space.
4. Some signs used are: NOW, OK, KEEP-ASIDE
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 Activity 4
Watch the video: https://youtu.be/GSLg0OZlGvc
Q. Try and identify the following techniques
used for structural organization of the text:
1. Number list
2. Grouping
3. Location of topic in space
4. Signs used to break up a discourse into parts
5. Other strategies
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 IV. Storytelling
1. Storytelling plays an important part in many cultures,
especially those that do not have written languages.
2. Some genres seem to be specific to sign languages, for
example, ABC and number stories.
3. In spoken languages, stories are structured by using
methods like shifting perspective between narrator and
participants, making use of dramatic features like changes
in intonation or loudness of voice, etc.
4. In sign languages, aspects like facial expression, use of the
body, spatial mapping, eye gaze behavior or the use of
one or two hands, etc. play an important role in
structuring the story.
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 Example: A research study on story structure in
ASL and English storytelling of ‘The Tortoise and
the Hare’ identified the following features for
storytelling in ASL and English.

S.No. ASL English (spoken)

Story was told mostly

Story was told mostly in
1. from perspective of
narrator mode.
characters.

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S.
N ASL English (spoken)
o.
Character personalities and physical
Character
features were represented through
personalities were
facial expressions, and signer’s own
represented
body. For example, to depict the
through voice
2. rabbit’s character, the signers
modulations and
mimicked its gestures or manner of
changes in
walking.
loudness,
Role shift was used to depict change
intonation, etc.
in character.

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S.
N ASL English (spoken)
o.
More visual and spatial details are
given. There was more description
of the setting, characters’ distinctive
physical and personality
characteristics, etc. For example, the Less visual and
3. scene at the beginning of the story spatial details were
where the rabbit and tortoise lined given.
up, all animals looked at them, and
then the whistle was blown was
described in much more detail in
ASL than in spoken English.

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S.N
ASL English (spoken)
o.
English speakers used
Signers used classifiers, etc.
prepositions like
to show spatial relation
behind, after and in
4. between the two animals
front of, to show the
(rabbit and tortoise) as they
spatial relation
ran.
between the animals.
Eye gaze towards the
audience indicated that the
signer was narrating the Eye gaze was mostly
5.
story. Eye gaze in other towards the audience.
directions was used as a part
of character representation.

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 Summary of storytelling
1. In sign languages, signers use visual-
gestural resources for describing
characters, space and motion.
2. In contrast, in spoken languages,
vocabulary, grammar, voice, etc. are
used to depict characters, motion, etc.
3. Therefore, there are differences
between signed narratives/stories and
spoken narratives/stories.
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 Exercise
Watch the video: https
://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygSAIXXUXXg
Try to identify the following.
1. The characters taken on by the signer
2. Eye gaze behavior
3. Spatial locations of places in the story and of
the people
4. Classifiers used
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 Questions for practice
Short questions
1. What is discourse?
2. What is turn-taking?
3. What is backchanneling in conversation?
4. Discuss two ways of structural organization in ISL texts.
Long question
1. Discuss the differences in storytelling in spoken
language and in sign language.

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 Readings and References
READINGS
• Sutton-Spence, Rachel, and Bencie Woll. 1998. The Linguistics of British Sign
Language: An Introduction. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. [Ch 14
pg. 270-275]
• Valli, Clayton, and Ceil Lucas. 2000 (3rd edn). Linguistics of American Sign
Language: An Introduction. Washington, DC, USA: Gallaudet University Press.
[Part 6 Unit 2 ASL Discourse pg. 175-178]
REFERENCES
• Rayman, Jennifer. 1999. Storytelling in the visual mode: A comparison of ASL and
English. In Storytelling and conversation: Discourse in Deaf communities, edited
by Elizabeth Winston. Gallaudet University Press.
• http://www1.appstate.edu/~mcgowant/hymes.htm
• http://linguisticszone.blogspot.in/2007/08/conversation-repairs.html
• http://www.languageinconflict.org/how-language-works/context-of-situation.ht
ml
• https://www.thoughtco.com/turn-taking-conversation-1692569v
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• http://