Future research must be to develop models of language that explain the clustering of characteristics found in sign languages.

 




The discovery of these sign language properties brings to light observations about spoken language that seem to be determined by the modality alone, such as the tendency to string linguistic information out linearly, and the generally arbitrary nature of the lexicon and grammar. Before research on sign language, such characteristics were thought to be properties of language universally.

 In the light of sign language research, we may suggest that these properties are artefacts of the oral–aural modality. Our work is cut out for us. An important goal of future research must be to develop models of language that explain the clustering of characteristics found in sign languages, as well as the fact that they conform to more general linguistic universals. In developing such models, we are charged with an equally important task: explaining precisely what it is about the spoken language modality that makes it different from sign language. Only by examining these two natural language systems together can we reach a complete understanding of the human genius for language.

Location: 405 E 45th St, New York, NY 10017, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Elements and Structure of Language.

Image
What is language, and how is it structured?  • Language - a system for combining symbols (such as words) so that an unlimited number of meaningful statements can be made for the purpose of communicating with others.   • Grammar - the system of rules governing the structure and use a of language. • Syntax - the system of rules for combining words and phrases to form grammatically correct sentences.  • Morphemes - the smallest units of meaning within a language. – Semantics - the rules for determining the meaning of words and sentences. • Phonemes - the basic units of sound in language.  • Pragmatics - aspects of language involving the practical ways of communicating with others, or the social “niceties” of language How are language and thought related?  Language and Cognition  • Cognitive universalism – theory that concepts are universal and influence the development of language.  • Jean Piaget believed that concepts precede and aid the developm...
Read more

Neural Control of Sign Languages.

Image
  Neurolinguists attempt to gain insight into the nature of language by determining which areas of the brain control various components of the language system. One way in which this is done is by studying the performance of people who have incurred brain damage, such as the localized damage resulting from strokes. In hearing, speaking people, numerous studies have found that damage to certain areas of the left cerebral hemisphere typically results in some type of language dysfunction, called aphasia. There are  Different types of aphasia , in which damage to different areas of the brain results in Different types of language deficits . It is assumed that if a given function y is lost after damage to a certain area A, then that area is involved in the control or processing of that function. In this realm of investigation as well, similarities between signed and spoken languages have been found. Although damage to areas of the left hemisphere results in aphasia in hearing subje...
Read more

Putting the puzzle together.

Image
  In an attempt to understand certain similarities across sign languages , some interesting suggestions have been made about the role of iconicity (transparent correspondence between form and meaning) in shaping sign language grammar . Such a possibility runs counter to the by now traditional view that grammatical structure and iconicity are mutually exclusive. This more traditional view assumed, with Saussure (1959), that the elements of language , to be language, must be arbitrary. Therefore, it was assumed to follow that whatever is iconic about sign language is not “ linguistic .” Nowadays, however, there is such an abundance of solid evidence that sign languages are real linguistic systems in every sense of the word, that it is possible to take a fresh look at the whole issue. Allowing for the possibility that iconicity contributes to grammatical structure in sign language opens the door to the possibility that general cognitive concepts – such as spatial relations among refe...
Read more