Form, meaning, and focus in American Sign Language [electronic resource] / Miako N.P. Rankin.

Issued as part of UPCC book collections on Project MUSE.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 127-130) and index.

Editorial advisory board -- Acknowledgments -- Editor's note -- Introduction -- Foundational concepts -- Features relevant to defocusing agents in ASL -- Defocused agents in ASL utterances -- ASL structures used to express reduced agent focus -- Agent focus in ASL Texts -- Agent focus in ASL-to-English translation -- Conclusion -- References -- Index.

The meaning of any linguistic expression resides not only in the words, but also in the ways that those words are conveyed. In her new study, Miako N. P. Rankin highlights the crucial interrelatedness of form and meaning at all levels in order to consider specific types of American Sign Language (ASL) expression. In particular, Form, Meaning, and Focus in American Sign Language considers how ASL expresses non-agent focus, similar to the meaning of passive voice in English. Rankin's analyses of the form-meaning correspondences of ASL expressions of non-agent focus reveals an underlying pattern that can be traced across sentence and verb types. This pattern produces meanings with various levels of focus on the agent. Rankin has determined in her meticulous study that the pattern of form-meaning characteristic of non-agent focus in ASL is used prolifically in day-to-day language. The recognition of the frequency of this pattern holds implications regarding the acquisition of ASL, the development of curricula for teaching ASL, and the analysis of ASL discourse in effective interpretation.

Description based on print version record.