ASL signs are produced by combining handshape(s), movements, locations, palm orientations and sometimes required facial expressions. These four or five parts "create" a sign meaning. All languages create words/meanings by combining sub-parts. In English for example the parts of words are called vowels and consonants (to simplify the explanation). Vowels in English are sounds represented by the letters A, E, I, O, and U. Consonants are the other sounds made by represented by the letters, B, C, D... etc. To create a word/meaning in English speakers combine these sounds together. As an example the sounds for B E D create the word /bed/ and English speakers know what that means when they hear it.
As stated above, ASL signs combine four or five parts (handshapes, movements, locations where the sign is produced, palm orientation and sometimes required facial expressions). In ASL BED is expressed with two hands in flat-palms (handshapes), held together palms facing one another (palm orientations) at the side of your head (location), tapped slightly against the side of your head (movement). No facial expression is required to express this meaning.
When an ASL signer is expressing signs to create meaning and sentences they are not "mapping" English word for word. ASL has a completely separate grammatical structure from English. ASL can express any meaning or intention that any other language can express but it will accomplish the expression of that meaning using sometimes similar and sometimes much different vocabulary choices and grammatical structures. As a simple example. In English if we wanted to express that we have been to a place. Suppose someone asks us if we have ever visited Paris. In English we would say something like "Yes, I have been there. " Of course there are other ways to express this meaning and I am sure you can think of some. Languages always have different was to express the same meaning. In ASL if someone asked if someone had been to Paris. The ASL signer would use the signs FINISH TOUCH ME. Or NOT-YET TOUCH ME.
You can see from these two answers, one in the positive and one a negative response that ASL is using completely different forms of vocabulary and grammar to express the same meaning. A signer who is using native ASL would not "map" the English words I HAVE B-E-E-N TO PARIS.
Hope this brief explanation gives you some insight into how ASL and English work and are different from each other.
Regards,
Dr. Bill Newell
