“What Did You Say?: InterpreEng Constructed AcEon & Constructed Dialogue from ASL ChrisEne McQuaid Gallaudet University INT 429; Spring 2016 INTRODUCTION Constructed action (CA) and
Constructed dialogue (CD) are instances in
which a speaker recreates the actions or
comments of another speaker within a
narrative. Depiction, use of space, and role
shifting all serve to differentiate between
speakers in instances of CA and CD. When
interpreting from a ASL into English, it
can be challenging to make these small but
meaningful shifts in dialogue more clearly
explicit in spoken target languages. This
paper serves as an observational analysis
of instances of CA and CD when they are
interpreted from ASL into English.
LITERATURE REVIEW “Constructed dialogue” was a term
first coined by linguist Dr. Deborah Tannen
(1989) to describe “the contextualization of
words in a current discourse” (p 17). She
identifies two types of retelling: “reported
speech” and “indirect speech”. Reported
speech is defined as an instance in which a
thought or statement is directly quoted (p.
39). Indirect speech occurs when a “thirdperson report” is provided, rather than an
exact quote (p. 39).
Dr. Melanie Metzger (1995) extrapolates
the principles of constructed dialogue to
instances of constructed action in ASL; CA
is defined as any action performed or not
performed by individuals within a narrative.
Metzger describes constructed action as
“role playing, in which the signer assumes
the posture and actions of a character” (p.
257). Markers for constructed action
parallel those to markers of constructed
dialogue, and both are commonly used in
America Sign Language.
RESEARCH POSTER PRESENTATION DESIGN © 2015
www.PosterPresentations.com
METHODOLOGY & DATA COLLECTION The narrative text analyzed for use of CA and CD was a story told by a Deaf woman named
Rhonda Jennings, a student or renowned ASL and Deaf Studies scholar Ben Bahan. The source
text was delivered in ASL and was accompanied by a live voiced interpretation into English. The
story was performed as part of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and was recorded and published
by the Smithsonian Institution. The sample was divided into eight chunks of narrative containing
instances of CA and/or CD and were coded with ASL gloss and the corresponding English
translation.
In the following samples, the superscript denotes the character whose actions or speech is
being conveyed. Bolded texts beneath subscripted samples denote instances of constructed
dialogue, while italics denote constructed action.
RESULTS ANALYSIS Eight instances of constructed action
were observed; they were not interpreted
as narrations describing actions but were
instead expansions based on the goal of
the action. Four instances of constructed
dialogue were identified in the source text;
three were interpreted through indirect
speech and one was omitted. There was no
use of reported speech in the sample.
CONCLUSION & DISCUSSION The goal of this research was to identify
how interpreters work through instances of
constructed action and constructed dialogue
when working from ASL into English. One
vulnerability in this study is the language
used between characters in the narrative.
Because the dialogue occurs between a
signer and a non-signer, the exchange occurs
through a great deal gestural communication
rather than ASL-based dialogue. Therefore
this study may not reflect the work of the
majority of interpreters as they work
predominantly with fluent signers.
This information could provide a focus of
study for students and novice practitioners.
One of the most challenging aspects of signto-voice interpreting is the use of space and
role shifting. A focus on voicing instances of
CA and CD would better prepare students
and rising interpreters for exposure to
grassroots ASL users, thus making them
more versatile service providers.
REFERENCES Ben Bahan and Rhonda Jennings Share Their ASL Stories. (2013, July 23). Retrieved April 11, 2016, from hUp://www.fes/val.si.edu/blog/
2013/ben-­‐bahan-­‐and-­‐rhonda-­‐jennings-­‐share-­‐their-­‐asl-­‐stories/ Liddell, ScoU. 2003. Grammar, Gesture, and Meaning in American Sign Language, 157–175. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Metzger, Melanie. 1995. Constructed Dialogue and Constructed Ac/on in American Sign Language. In Ceil Lucas (ed.) The Sociolinguis/cs of the Deaf Community. San Diego; Academic Press. Roy, Cynthia. 1989. Features of Discourse in an American Sign Language Lecture. In Ceil Lucas (ed.) The Sociolinguis/cs of the Deaf Community. San Diego; Academic Press. Tannen, Deborah. 1989. Talking voices, repe//on, dialogue, and imagery in conversa/onal discourse. Cambridge; Cambridge University Press. Thumann, M. (2011). Iden/fying depic/on: Constructed ac/on and constructed dialogue in ASL presenta/ons. In C.B. Roy (Ed.) Discourse in signed languages (Vol. 17, pp. 46).