Role Shifting!

Role Shifting in American Sign Language

Role Shifting is an important aspect of ASL grammar, and conveys the following:
*It allows the narrator to “speak” from a character’s perspective.
*It differentiates between characters in a story or message.
*Places a quoted phrase or passage in the context of a visual interaction.
*Eliminates the need for redundant “He said.../She said…” dialogue.

How does one employ role shifting in A.S.L., and what can it include?
*Body shifting = characters are designated into a set location (right/left/center/up/down) and remain there consistently.
*Eye gaze = this establishes referents in space (right/left, up/down, two equals)… eye gaze depends on the subjects considered and the actions taking place (ie- teacher/student, cop/motorist, etc.).
*Facial expressions = emotions of the characters can and should be conveyed for clarity (ie- anger, surprise, joy, etc.).
*Character traits/mannerisms = one must also consider the physical mannerisms of the character (ie- prissy woman, pouting child, elderly man, animal, etc.)
*Non-verbal behaviors = includes those simultaneous actions that the character is also engaged in (ie- dog barking, chewing food, etc.)

Different types of role shifting
1) One character - the narrator becomes the character, taking on his/her actions, manners, and feelings. In order for a role shift to be successful, the signer must involve both the body and the eyes. His/her eye gaze must appear to be truly looking at the person, place, or thing he/she is interacting with or referring to. Here's an example....


2) Two character – the signer shifts from narrator in a dialogue/interplay to two distinctly different characters. The character shifting must include all of the fitting actions (eye gaze, expressions, mannerisms) of each character, and must be consistently differentiated in space. Fast forward to the 2:22 mark....


3) Mutliple character - this signer takes on an infinite number of characters, while maintaining the consistent body shifting, eye gaze, traits, etc. The more characters involved, the trickier it is to consistently account for each character! Here are a couple great examples....