CLASSIFIERS.

C-L

JUNE ANN LEFORS

MATT DAIGLE
CLASSIFIERS

There are at least 45 handshapes

that can be used as classifiers.
 7 DIFFERENT TYPES OF CLASSIFIERS

• Descriptive Classifiers
• Semantic Classifiers
• Locative Classifiers
• Plural Classifiers
• Instrumental Classifiers You do not need to memorize the
• Body Parts Classifiers types. Just be in the know about it.
You will learn as you practice.
• Element Classifiers
 WHAT ARE CLASSIFIERS?

They are also called DEPICITING VERBS.

They are used in ASL to show:
• MOVEMENT
• LOCATION
• APPEARANCE
 WHAT ARE CLASSIFIERS?

After a signer indicates what is being depicted (CAR, MAN, DOG, etc), a CLASSIFIER
can be use in its place to show where and how it moves, what it looks like, and where
it is located.

• Things (objects, people, animals, vehicles, etc.)

• Shapes (including outlines, perimeters, surfaces, configurations, gradients, etc.)
• Sizes (amount, largeness, smallness, relative size, volume, etc.)
• Usage (movement paths, speed, interactions, etc.)

The commonly recognized handshapes that are typically used to show

different classes of things, shapes, and sizes are called "classifiers”.
 ICONIC SIGNS AND CLASSIFIER
DESCRIPTIONS

There are some elements of ASL that are more iconic than
others, and appear “gesture-like”, but they are a part of the
grammar.

Watch a Deaf man tell a story about a fish. He uses so many

CLASSIFIERS.You do not need to identify which or what but try
to understand what he is trying to tell you.

https://youtu.be/DR4HF6S_hz0

www.birdvilleschools.net
Bavelier, D., Newport, E.L., & Supalla, T. (2003). Signed or spoken:
Children need natural languages. Cerebrum: The Dana Forum on
Brain Science, 5 (1).
Stacey DeLaune
CLASSIFIER EXAMPLES:
 MORE CLASSIFIER EXAMPLES:

CL:3 CL: C-claw

CL:1 CL:C
Represents vehicles Represents a lot of
Represents long thin Represents thick
CARS something
things cylindrical items
TRAINS
BOATS CROWD of PEOPLE
PEOPLE GLASS
MOTORCYCLES PILE of LAUNDRY
POLES CUP
BICYLES Things:
STICKS COOKIES
etc BUSH
etc etc
SNOWBALL
 MORE CLASSIFIER EXAMPLES:

CL:5 CL: L
CL: V CL:V- inverted
CL: V bent (knuckles bent)
Represents location of WITH TWO HANDS can
Represents a person’s
a city in a flat form or represent small
Represents legs
something flat without rectangular things
straight edges.
-TWO PEOPLE WALKING STANDING
-PEOPLE SITTING in a JUMPING CREDIT CARD
LEAF CIRCLE PICTURE FRAME
FALLING
FLAME -Location of a CHAIR CHECK
DANCING
etc -ANIMAL WALKING, etc
 MORE CLASSIFIER EXAMPLES:

CL: L-bent
CL: B CL:4 CL: A with your thumb up
WITH TWO HANDS
Represents flat things Represents a long line Represents an object in a
can represent small
of… certain location
rcircular things
WALL
ROOF LINE HOUSE
SMALL DISH
WINDOW FENCE LAMP
DINNER PLATE
BED GATE VASE
DISCS
TABLE CURTAINS
BOOK
 MORE CLASSIFIER EXAMPLES:

People/Animal Classifiers:

ONE person
More than ONE person
HEAVY person
 MORE CLASSIFIER EXAMPLES:

Relatively FLAT objects:

TABLE
BOOK
PAPER
CALENDAR
PICTURE
 MORE CLASSIFIER EXAMPLES:

Relatively THIN objects:

PENCIL
CIGAR
HOTDOG
KNIFE
 MORE CLASSIFIER EXAMPLES:

Relatively SQUAT objects:

BOTTLE
TROPHY
PHONE
 MORE CLASSIFIER EXAMPLES:

Containers:

CUPS
MUGS
THERMAL
Location of BOWL
 MORE CLASSIFIER EXAMPLES:

HOARDES
PLANES BUTTONS ROPES LIGHTS
FLYING VEHICLES COINS
(if thinner)CL: i
STRINGS
LINES
 CL:1

PEN
PENCIL
POLE
UPRIGHT PERSON
 CL:2

• two persons standing or

walking side by side (CL:2 up)

• one person standing (CL:2

down),

• person lying down

• eye gaze
 CL:3

• vehicle (horizontal
orientation)

• three persons standing or

walking...
 CL:4

• Lines
• Fence
• Long
 CL:5

Palm-orientation DOWN
• A large number of animals
or things
 CL:A

• Location of item placed

on

• VASE
• TROPHY
CL:B
 CL:C

• Container
• Cup
• Vase
 CL:F

• Coin
• Stain
• Button
• Dot
• Eye gaze
 CL:G

wood stick

size of something
BORDER
TRIM
THICKNESS
 CL:I

Thin line
 CL:L

Frame
Picture
Location of a frame
 CL:L-BENT

Lake
Plate
 CL:O

Pipes
Hose
 CL:S

HEAD
 CL:S

HEAD
 CL:U

RIBBON
TONGUE
STRIP
STRIP of PAPER
 CL:Y

FAT ANIMAL
HEAVY person
Fancy TIRE RIMS
 CLASSIFIERS

• Now you have seen the majority of the handshapes used in

Classifiers.
 CLASSIFIER TYPES IN ASL

nDescriptive classifiers
nSize and Shape Specifiers
nDepth and width
nPerimeter shape, etc.
 DESCRIPTIVE CLASSIFIERS

• help represent or describe a person or object.

• Extremely tall
• Short
• Long hair
• Bulletin board
• Freckles
• Striped
• Thin
• Curly hair
 DESCRIPTIVE CLASSIFIERS

• An elephant has a long nose.

NOUN
ELEPHANT

Represents:

LONG NOSE
CLASSIFIER TYPES IN ASL:

nSemantic classifiers
nEntity
nCategories of nouns
 SEMANTIC CLASSIFIERS

• Person walking fast

• Vehicle parked
• Obese person waddling
• Fast car cruising
• Row of chairs
 SEMANTIC CLASSIFIERS

• There are cars in the parking lot.

NOUN
CARS

Represents:

CAR PARKED
 CLASSIFIER TYPES IN ASL

nLocative Classifiers
nshow placement or spatial information
about an object
nsometimes show types of movement
 LOCATIVE CLASSIFIERS

• Placing a cup on a napkin

• A leaf floating to the ground
• A shelf over there to your right
• Goal posts
• To adjust a picture
 LOCATIVE CLASSIFIERS

• One stick here and another stick over there

NOUN
Represents:
STICKS
THIN,
SCATTERED
ABOUT
 CLASSIFIER TYPES IN ASL

nPlural Classifiers
nIndicate a specific number or a
non-specific number
 PLURAL CLASSIFIERS

• Two people walking

• Long line of people
• People moving in line
• People seated in a circle
 CLASSIFIER TYPES IN ASL

nInstrumental Classifiers
nshow how you would handle an object
 INSTRUMENTAL CLASSIFIERS

• Use your hand or part of

body
• Hammer a nail
• Sweep with a broom
• play checkers
• light match
• Garbage dump out
• Driving
• Hang a piece of clothing
 CLASSIFIER TYPES IN ASL

nBody Part Classifiers

• use your body to act out or role play
• A specific part of your body is doing
an action
 BODY PART CLASSIFIERS

Sometimes this is like mime. Other times you just show

the action that is going on.
• Almost threw up
• Give a hug to a child
• Listening for a strange noise/ looking for where a
shadow is coming from
• Running hard
• Yawning
• Scared reaction
 BODY PART CLASSIFIERS #2

A specific part of your body is doing an action

• Looking at (eyeballs)
• Kicking back (relax)
• Legs crossing
• Tap foot
• Head tilting back
• Big grin
• Red face (embarrassed)
• Mouth frowning
 CLASSIFIER TYPES IN ASL

nElement Classifiers
nrepresent the elements
nEarth, Air, Water, Fire
 ELEMENT CLASSIFIERS

• Water
• From a faucet Ø Ground
• Spilled Ø Tremble
• Air Ø mudslide
Ø Fire
• Stormy Ø Candle burning
• Breezy Ø Forest fire
• Hot air Ø Sunlight
 PRACTICE

The English language has many colorful verbs and adverbs.

These can easily be described in ASL by changing the
movement of verbs or the classifiers themselves.

1. a big man walking heavily

2. a thin lady walking lightly
3. a bear lumbering along
 PRACTICE

4. a mouse scampering
5. a rabbit hopping along
6. a car speeding by
 PRACTICE

7. big log truck struggling up a hill

8. a motorcycle zooming between cars
9. a sailboat gracefully riding the waves

Use TWO hands

 PRACTICE

10. a house sitting on top of a hill

11. waves crashing against the shore
12. a kite soaring into the sky
 PRACTICE

13. two people sitting facing each other

14. a classroom arranged in a semi-circle
15. rows people sitting and watching the teacher
 PRACTICE

16. a water hose on the ground, going around a tree

17. three saucers with a cup placed on each one
18. very thick books lined up on a bookshelf
 PRACTICE

19. a telescope pointed toward the sky

20. staring at a blank wall
 PRAAAAACCCTICE

Use Cl: 3 to describe the following paragraph:

I was driving my car very slowly when a car pulled up

behind me and started following me right on my
bumper. The car kept moving over into the oncoming
traffic to try to pass me. Finally, I slowed and moved
over to the right, and the car went flying by me.
 PRACTICE

Use Cl: 1 and Cl:2 to sign the following story:

• The boy was walking alone (right hand Cl:1 moves
forward)
• when a girl came walking toward him. (left hand Cl:1
moves toward right hand).
• The boy walked toward the girl, (right hand Cl:1 turns
to face left hand and moves toward it)
• but she turned away. (left hand Cl:1 turns and moves
away). (continued…)
 PRACTICE

• The boy was surprised. He stopped and waited, staring

at the girl. (right hand Cl:1 stops, change right hand to
Cl:2 position pointing toward left hand to represent
staring)
• The girl turned back toward him, (left hand Cl:1 turns
back toward right hand)
• and the boy looked away. (right hand Cl:2 quickly
turns away) (continued…)
• She slowly approached him, stopping, and staring. (left
hand Cl:1 moves toward right hand, stops, change left
hand to Cl:2 position pointed toward the right hand
to represent staring)
• At last, their eyes met. (right hand Cl:2 turns toward
left hand Cl:2 and the face each other).
• They gazed at one another, (both hands Cl:2 facing
each other move in slow circular motion) and walked
away together. (change both hands to Cl:1 side by side
and move forward)
 RESOURCES:

• http://terptopics.com/Classifiers.htm
• https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=asl+classifiers&qpvt=asl+Classifie
rs&FORM=IGRE
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n2KW6eoJ3w
• http://aslclassifiers.org/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8vy8mjTYog&feature=youtu.be
• https://www.handspeak.com/learn/index.php?id=20
• http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101//pages-signs/classifiers/classifiers-00.htm
• AND MANY MORE…