You know, that last video has me pondering a single, extremely important question:

[conuly]

"Does ASL distinguish between inclusive/exclusive we?"

...you know, if all the very important questions I need to know the answer to were followed up by intensive, serious study on the subject in question, I'd really know an awful lot.

******

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Comments

[readerjane]

Is like to know that too. I'll bet the distinction is in how the gesture is shaped: tightly or broadly, maybe?

[pauamma]

If I understand section 3.2 of http://kearsy.webmate.me/web/Publications_files/Cormier2005.pdf right (and if it is correct), it looks more complex than that.

[conuly]

Apparently there's still debate over whether or not ASL pronouns count as pronouns, even.

[pauamma]

Links? (If you have them handy. Or search URL, if easier.)

[conuly]

I didn't save them. The argument seems to be "when you say a pronoun in ASL, you point at the person/thing you're pronouning, or in the place you've designated for the person/thing, so really they're just pointing" and I'm not entirely certain that's logically sound. This opinion, I must point out, seems to come primarily from hearing observers, and I don't want to ad hominem them too much, but... well... hearing observers of sign languages sometimes make dubious assumptions to draw shaky conclusions.

[steorra]

I really like "pronoun" as a verb :-)

[conuly]

From reading and close observation of those videos, I think the primary cue is orientation - are you signing it in the direction of the person you're signing to, or off where you've designated a referrent somewhere else?

[pauamma]

That question sent me to https://duckduckgo.com/?q=ASL+clusive&norw=1&t=h_&ia=web (no, DDG, I didn't mean "all-inclusive"), and from there to http://kearsy.webmate.me/web/Publications_files/Cormier2005.pdf. I blame you for this. :-)

[conuly]

That's the same article I found, and it certainly appears consistent with the song in the video... but of course, that's signing a song, so there's some artistry there (and the signer kindly did everything slowly enough that, with the gloss, you can work out what each sign is, which wouldn't be the case in conversation anyway if you don't speak ASL). It may be the equivalent of trying to figure out the grammar of modern English by looking at Shakespeare - or e. e. cummings, for all I know.