Janet:
Hi there.... would it be possible to chat with you and go
over some sign language "minimal pairs" for my sign language college class?
Or can I IM the info to you? My name is Janet ______.
Dr. Bill:
Sure go ahead
[Editor's note: Minimal Pairs
are two signs which share three out of four production
parameters: handshape, movement,
palm orientation and location]
JANET:
The first set I'm working on have the same
handshape, movement and
location but have a different palm orientation:
sock/star
please/sorry
restaruant/cafeteria
good/bad
choose/pick
Can you think of any others? I have three other parameter sets as well but
I would prefer to do one at a time. Is that ok?
Dr. Bill:
Which college do you attend?
JANET:
Columbus state
community college, [Columbus, Ohio]
Dr. Bill:
Ah, I see, and your teacher won't help you with this stuff
or what?
JANET:
No and i've been looking online for info and haven't found
much. I'm really rusty with my signing so I'm trying to figure out if my
pairs are really ok. I have to do four sets with one parameter of each set
being different and everything else remaining the same.
Dr. Bill:
Okay, the ones you have listed are good.
Dr. Bill:
Except perhaps "choose/pick"
Dr. Bill:
Unless you are saying one is an "F" hand and the other is
an 8 hand?
JANET:
Pick is up and down movement while choose is back and forth
movement with everything else being the same
Dr. Bill:
Ah...I see yah..."pick up vs. choose/select"
Dr. Bill:
if I were you I'd grab a dictionary and just flip through
it until I found signs that work for your project.
JANET:
I've already done that and I'm just looking for some
confirmations
Dr. Bill:
k
Dr. Bill:
let me look at your list again...hd
JANET:
So, if that group looks ok how about this one…palm
orientation, movement and location are the same but handshape is different:
think/know
sad/cry
pig/ dirty
apple/ candy
white/like
Dr. Bill:
how about: summer, dry, ugly (except the facial
expressions)
Dr. Bill:
rooster / father
Dr. Bill:
me / my
Dr. Bill:
home / yesterday
Dr. Bill:
cute / sweet
JANET:
summer, dry and ugly I have in the category that location
is different and everything else is the same right??
Dr. Bill:
um, SAD and CRY are debatable
Dr. Bill:
could also debate PIG and DIRTY--the movement is a bit
different
Dr. Bill:
the signs DIRTY and PIG both use could be called "internal
wiggle" but the movement itself is different.
Dr. Bill:
APPLE and CANDY are solid choices
Dr. Bill:
WHITE/LIKE are good
JANET:
handshape, palm orientation and movement are the same while
location is different --
mother/father
grandmother/grandfather
dry/ugly/summer
apple/onion
cute/sweet
Dr. Bill:
um cute /sweet are same location in my book (different
handshape). I have though seen some people do a version of "candy" on the
cheek that uses the "U" handshape. For CANDY, I prefer to twist an index
finger on my cheek. Heh.
JANET:
movement being different
coffee/make
must/need
think/wonder
thirsty/swallow
pain/opposite??
wait/fire
cheese/paper
lousy/bug
chocolate/church
disappear/start
break/change
What do you think?
Dr. Bill:
coffee/make good
must/need debatable but yah (inflection: intensity)
think/wonder yah
thirsty/swallow debatable regarding palm orientation
pain/opposite?? yah (one version of pain, if use single movement)
wait/fire yah
cheese/paper yah
lousy/bug yes
chocolate/church yes
disappear/start debatable location
break/change debatable handshape
Dr. Bill:
okay well looks like you will do well enough to pass eh? I
gotta jam...anything else?
JANET:
no but thanks...
Dr. Bill:
good luck and have a nice evening.
JANET:
u2
Dr. Bill:
bye
JANET:
thanks again
Dr. Bill:
:) welcome bye