Spatial Structuring – Referencing

Toolkit for Legal Interpreters

General Interpreting Skill Development

Improving聽Spatial Structuring – Referencing

This guide enhances general interpreting skills by listing聽deictic markers and聽providing activities to improve spatial structuring through聽the use of referencing.聽Resources that include ASL and English narratives are provided below.

Levinson (1983) identified five major types of deictic markers:

  1. person
  2. place
  3. time
  4. discourse
  5. social

Person Deixis聽

Refers to grammatical markers of participant roles in speech events. First person is the speaker鈥檚 reference to self; second person is the speaker鈥檚 reference to addressee(s), and third person is reference to others who are neither speaker nor addressee (Hatch, 1994).

A common error made by interpreters is the failure to identify referent shifts.

Place / Spatial Deixis

Refers to how languages show the relationship between space and the location of the participants in the discourse. In English, this distinction is realized in demonstratives (this versus that) or in adverbs (here versus there), or in phrases (in front, in back, at our place, out back). The 鈥榟ere鈥� versus 鈥榯here鈥� distinctions also reflect social organization. Examples are 鈥渁cross the tracks,鈥� 鈥渢he other side of town,鈥� and 鈥渕oving uptown.鈥�

Learning to locate yourself and objects in space that are not visible depends on at least three types of abilities:

  • Cognitive (developing a 鈥榮patial map鈥� that includes familiar pathways in your environment and the relationship of these paths to those that are unknown)
  • Interactive (taking account of the listener鈥檚 knowledge of these spatial relations)
  • Linguistic (how these are mapped on language)
Temporal Deixis

Refers to time relative to the time of speaking. Examples are now versus then, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Confusion occurs when units are not clearly indicated as being definite calendar times or definite in relation to the moment in which we are located.

Other temporal deixis functions include:

  • Giving verisimilitude to our stories (i.e., Once upon a time鈥�)
  • When locating the time of an action precisely will give it more credibility (i.e., Saturday night, May 25at 6 PM someone knocked at the door)
  • When a specific referent is not needed (i.e., remember when鈥�)
Discourse Deixis聽

Refers to keeping track of reference in the unfolding discourse. We use a variety of deictic markers to point the way to various parts of the discourse. The frequency of all deictic terms varies across types of text. The more formal the discourse, the more markers are needed to keep the text coherent.

Discourse deixis keeps the text connected on a textual level. It involves ways of tying segments of the text together through tie-backs and transition markers.

  • Example: 鈥淓arlier in the Module we discussed three strategies you can use to improve your transcription samples. I want to refer back to the second strategy we discussed.鈥�
  • Example: 鈥淣ow that we have completed our discussion of transcription strategies, I would like to shift to a discussion of transcription symbols. First, turn to page 21 of the Green Book and look at the standard symbols used to transcribe ASL.鈥�
Social Deixis

Used to code social relationships between speakers and addressee or audiences. Included in this category are honorifics, titles, vocatives and pronouns.

  • Example: Your Honor, Mr. President, Madame Chairperson, my husband, teacher, preacher, you, your, etc.

Since reference / deixis play such an important semantic role in messages, it is important for interpreters to know the types and functions of various reference / deixis features. It is Levinson鈥檚 categories that you will apply as you analyze ASL texts in this guide. In preparation, think about how you would use space to convey each of Levinson鈥檚 categories of reference and deixis. For example, how is honorific reference conveyed in ASL? What are some examples of discourse deixis in ASL? How does eye-gaze use in ASL (e.g. movement of eyes up or down) in conjunction with directional verbs impact the use of social and person deixis in ASL? How is space used in ASL to convey temporal elements – such as the past, the future, the present, a series of things that happened over a period of time? Considering examples from your own experience will provide you with excellent rehearsal for the following exercises.

Exercise A

Below is a spoken English presentation – supported by a PPT – about deixis that provides further illustration and聽valuable elaboration聽of this language feature.

Deixis
by聽The Virtual Linguistics Campus

~15 minutes in length

笔别谤蝉辞苍听顿别颈虫颈蝉

  • I, me
  • You-singular, you-plural
  • He/him, she/her
  • It
  • They/them
  • We/us
  • My audience
Place / Spatial Deixis

  • Here, there
  • This, that, these, those
  • Above, below
  • Went into, came into
  • Yonder, over there
Temporal Deixis聽

  • Before
  • After
  • Then
  • Now
Discourse Deixis

  • This
  • That
Social Deixis聽

  • Only discussed designations in French and German that represent formal references to individuals and their status versus informal, conversational references

Next, consider these various examples and how you would express each of them in ASL. Once you have identified options, practice interpreting the text, integrating the deixis in an appropriate manner.

Once you believe you have a good representation, record yourself interpreting the text. Conduct a self-assessment and also ask a mentor or other interpreter to provide an assessment. How effective were you in conveying the various reference/deixis functions? What would you do differently next time? Incorporating your own feedback, as well as that from a mentor and/or other interpreter, re-do the interpretation making the changes you believe will strengthen your performance.

Exercise B

Apply the following steps to analyze the English texts provided below.

Step 1.聽View the text for comprehension.

Step 2.聽View the text again to isolate, identify, and categorize the various referent / deixis markers that occur in the text.

Step 3.聽Consider and determine ASL equivalents for the various English referent / deixis markers.

Step 4.聽Using the cross-linguistic equivalents you determined, practice interpreting the text in entirety.

Step 5.聽When you are satisfied with your practice, record yourself interpreting the text.

Step 6.聽Conduct a self-assessment of your performance. Were you successful in applying the cross-linguistic strategies you intended? Are there things you would change? Where and why?

Step 7.聽Have a mentor or fellow interpreter conduct a review and provide feedback.

Step 8.聽Using your own assessment and the mentor or peer feedback you received, re-do your interpretation.

Repeat these steps with each of the texts, as well as others to which you have access. Regular attention to this process will strengthen your competence in this aspect of spatial structuring/voice interpreting.

Resources

NOTE: These resources were last updated March 2021.

Presentation Expression: How to Start a Presentation With a Story
by聽Carl Kwan

~3 minutes in length

How to Use Storytelling in a Speech
产测听贬辞飞肠补蝉迟

~4 minutes in length

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ASL Storytime from the Department of Sign Language and Interpretation at Gallaudet University

The series included three volumes, each containing stories with a broad variety of ASL features. The series is available on YouTube.

 from the National Consortium of Interpreter Education Centers (NCIEC)

The series includes diverse ASL and English texts available for practice interpreting. The series is available on NCIEC’s website. There is no charge for accessing these materials, although you may be required to register to access.

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The following resources may be available for use from your local interpreter education program or through your public library. If the library does not have them, request that they purchase them for community use.

 from Sign Media

A set of 33 DVDs including 12 simultaneous texts, 12 consecutive texts, 7 one-to-one situations, 2 small groups, 6 ASL texts and 6 English texts.

This resource is excellent for individual, study group, or classroom skill development exercises.

A PDF version of this guide is *available upon request – General Interpreting Skill Development:聽Referencing

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As of December 31, 2021, this grant project is no longer active or soliciting applications.
This website will remain available as a resource.

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