Daniel Greene

Category: Language

My observations about grammar, language, and linguistics

  • Three lessons this interpreter is learning from teaching ASL

    1. It takes patience and creativity to sign with people who know little sign language.

    I have a new respect for Deaf people who take the time to sign with ASL students. Having more respect for Deaf people and more creativity in how I express myself is making me a better Deaf community member.

    2. I’ve been doing it wrong.

    Well, maybe not wrong, but there are things I never knew, such as that Y is considered a down letter; that is, Y is made by tilting the palm downward. I’m sure this is not a hard and fast rule; in fact, I can see even on the Signing Naturally DVD the language models do not always sign Y that way. Still, I never knew it ever tilted down at all. Now I see it in the way I and other signers spell the lexicalized #style and #yes. I also never knew that the sign WHEN meant what day, not what time. Again, I’m sure this is not a hard and fast rule, but I never knew it was a rule at all. Those are just two examples of several. Learning how to refine my signing is making me a better interpreter.

    3. Now I see what my students have learned.

    Since many of the interpreting students and working interpreters I teach have learned ASL with the Signing Naturally curriculum, I have a better idea of what they were taught. Knowing what my students have learned is making me a better interpreter trainer.

  • There is no ass to Rick — and four other symbols you mispronounce

    As an interpreter, I go to many places where people call typographical symbols by the wrong names. It irks me, but I can’t say anything about it while I’m interpreting, so please hear me now as I correct some common errors.

    @
    This is an at sign, a.k.a. at symbol or simply at when spoken in an email address. It is not an ampersand.
    &
    This is an ampersand.
    /
    This is a slash. It is not a backslash.
    \
    This is a backslash.
    *
    This is an asterisk. If you don’t pronounce the s before the k, you risk offending Rick.

    This is Rick. Unfortunately for him, there is no asterick.

  • Computerized interpretation of vague language for Web searches

    It’s great to see how people other than “interpreters” are implementing the “interpretation” of vague language for practical applications! Panos Alexopoulos, in his presentation Vagueness in Semantic Information Management, discusses how Internet engineers can design databases with search capabilities that can “interpret” what consumers mean when they say they are looking for, say, a “Big, modern restaurant.” (How many square feet is big? What year range or architectural and interior design qualifies as modern?) He discusses the challenge of developing algorithms that can translate vague search terms into specific results. Very interesting!

  • Slideshows of Interpreting Vague Language Workshop Series

    Slideshows of Interpreting Vague Language Workshop Series

    These are the slideshows from the series of three Interpreting Vague Language (VL) workshops I taught in July. I’m sharing these for people who are interested in vague language and how I teach  it.

    I recommend taking these three parts together as a Friday night, all day Saturday workshop. Please email me@danielgreene.com or call me at 623-252-5171 if you are interested in hosting. Thanks!

  • Just because you don’t get it doesn’t mean it’s vague

    “What about slang words and acronyms, aren’t they vague language?” Someone asked me this recently, and I wanted to say no right away, but I had to think about why. After thinking on it, I say no, slang words and acronyms are not vague language because they do not have inherently vague meanings; if anything, they are very specific. Vague words have inherently vague meanings– vague language is language you know, but can never be sure of. Take the word noonish– we know it means sometime around noon; we just don’t know exactly when. We also don’t know how late someone might be when they say they’ll meet you at noonish: 12:05? 12:10? What about quarter past– is that noonish anymore, or just plain late? I don’t think a dictionary, slang or otherwise, will ever tie noonish down to the hands of a clock. When people talk with each other in front of you in a language you don’t understand, they’re being cryptic, not vague. Or maybe you’re just being paranoid.