The Structure of Sign Languages

The video discusses Bill Stokey's pioneering work in analyzing sign languages, focusing on identifying parameters that characterize meaning. It explores linguistic principles, hand shapes, and movements in sign language, comparing them to spoken languages. Stokey's approach involved coding and transcribing signs to understand their structure and meaning, highlighting the differences and commonalities across languages.

What is the main focus of Sharon Berman's discussion in the video?

• Bill Stokey's work on sign languages

• The history of spoken languages

• The similarities between French and Brazilian sign languages

• The development of new sign languages

What significant contribution did Bill Stokey make in 1965?

• He created a new sign language.

• He published a dictionary in American Sign Language.

• He developed a spoken language classification system.

• He translated sign language into spoken language.

How did Bill Stokey approach the analysis of signs in his dictionary?

• By comparing signs to written language

• By dividing signs into multiple parts

• By focusing on the visual appearance of signs

• By translating signs into spoken words

What does the movement of a sign in sign language indicate?

• The origin of the sign

• The speed of communication

• The emotional tone of the signer

• The meaning of the sign

What was one of the outcomes of Stokey's analysis of sign language parameters?

• A comprehensive corpus of all sign languages

• A new spoken language derived from sign language

• A complete translation of sign language into English

• A notation and coding system for sign parameters