In ASL, what is the smallest unit of sign components, analogous to phonemes?

• A. Phonemes, the smallest unit of sound or sign parameters
• B. Lexicalization, the process of turning a word into a sign
• C. Cardinal Numbers
• D. Transitioning a fingerspelled word into a sign

Answer: (A)

In ASL, signs are built from a small set of contrastive features—handshape, location, movement, orientation, and facial/nonmanual cues. These distinct features combine to form signs, and each parameter can be varied to create a different sign. The smallest unit that can change meaning, much like phonemes in spoken language, is the phoneme itself in sign language terms. In practice, that means the sign parameters are the fundamental building blocks; a single parameter change can yield a different sign. The other options describe processes or categories that are not the basic building blocks of signs.