3.5 Discussing One's Residence

3.5 Discussing One's Residence

Contrastive Strucutre

Suppose you want to talk to someone about a person who is not physically nearby, you should use contrastive structure. The rules of contrastive structure are easy. 

Contrastive Structure

• First, identify the person by fingerspelling his or her name; describing a few key features such as hair color or height also helps. 

• Second, just point to the right of one's body. That's all there is to it. Once a person has been established using contrastive structure, you simply point back to that spot to refer back to them. 

• This works with multiple people as well, but try to refrain from using more than two people at a time, as it may confuse the other signer.

Contrastive Structure Setup

• REFERENT (DEIXIS- IX) “pointing” to set up people, places or things

• BODY SHIFTING (BS) slightly turn head and shoulders when using two or more referents

• EYE GAZE- “look” at the referents

• WHICH  for “or”

Types of Residence

HOUSE

Make flat handshapes with both hands. Touch your middle fingers together. Pull them away from eachother to create the roof, then down to create the sides of a house.

DORM

Make a D with your dominant hand and touch it to the side of your mouth then your ear.

*do not confuse this with the sign for DEAF

#APT

Fingerspell the letters A-P-T

Multiple Select

In the sentence:

YOU LIVE HOUSE APT WHICH

Which two signs use contrastive structure? Select all that apply.

• YOU

• LIVE

• HOUSE

• APT

• WHICH

Size of Housing

LARGE

Make Bent L's on your hands. Start with your hands close together then move them away.

*you must also say CHA when signing it*

SMALL

Make flat handshapes with both hands and push them towards each other without touching.

*you must say OO when signing it*

MEDIUM

Conveying Age

NEW

OLD

SO-SO

Signs involved with Questions

WHICH

COLOR

LIKE

Opinions

FINE

#OK

LIKE

DETEST/VOMIT

Practice

Practice signing the following dialogue:

• YOU LIVE HOUSE APT WHICH

• I LIVE HOUSE

• YOUR HOUSE BIG SMALL WHICH

• MY HOUSE SMALL

Practice signing the following dialogue:

• YOUR HOUSE COLOR WHAT

• MY HOUSE BLUE

• YOU LIKE COLOR

• ME DETEST

Videowork: Lesson 3:5

UNIT3-5.M4V

Minidialogues start at 2:23

*on minidialogue 2

sf=San Francisco

Bouncing I = Oakland