A comparison of deixis in interpreted lectures and signed lectures in ASL: An exploration of the structures of ASL utilized by interpreters and deaf teachers when referring to a visual aid

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore what American Sign Language (ASL) structures interpreters utilize to relay information that is both verbal and visual. This research aims to identify how the structure of deixis (indication or reference made in context) in interpreted ASL discourse differs from the structure of deixis in direct ASL discourse. College lectures presented to deaf students via an interpreter are inherently different than lectures presented to deaf students via a deaf signing teacher. References made to visual aids in interpreted lectures will be compared with reference made to visual aids in lectures presented directly from fluent ASL users in the postsecondary setting. This study includes an analysis on how the ASL interpreter handles information, which is being produced via two modalities, auditory and visual. The bearing speaker may lecture while simultaneously producing a deictic gesture, pointing to different referents on a visual aid such as a chart, map or overhead projector. While concurrently receiving information auditorily and visually is not a problem, and is often helpful for the hearing students, it presents a challenge for the deaf students in an interpreted situation. Given that the deaf student may only receive information via the visual modality, the interpreter must use strategies and linguistic structures of ASL to properly relay all information, being presented by the teacher. This study compares the structures utilized in the interpreted lecture with those used in signed lectures given by deaf teachers, who use ASL as their primary language. In classrooms where the teacher's lecture is conveyed directly through ASL, and all information is being transmitted via only the visual modality, within one line of vision, the deaf students do not miss important gestural information. The deaf student in the bearing teacher's classroom is getting an interpretation, while the deaf students in the deaf teacher's classroom are getting direct access to the teacher's message. This study will explore the linguistic differences between the two types of classroom settings and will specifically investigate the use of deictic indices.