Sign Languages

Question 1

myths about sign language

Answer 1

there is no universal sign language

sign languages exhibit the same expressive power as spoken languages

Question 2

what is the structure of sign language?

Answer 2

smaller units are combined to create higher levels of structure, which are constrained by syntactic rules

Question 3

what is the sub-lexical phonology of signs?

Answer 3

1. handshape
2. location
3. movement

Question 4

why do slips-of-the-hand occur?

Answer 4

phonological units can be transposed, anticipated, or perseverated
- because signs are not produced as holistic gestures

Question 5

what do TOTs suggest about processing stages in spoken language?

Answer 5

independent processing stages for:
- word meaning
- word form

Question 6

what do TOFs provide evidence of?

Answer 6

signers also having independent access to meaning (semantics) and form (phonology)

Question 7

what happens to patients with neglect?

Answer 7

they experience grammatical syntactic representations based on spatial location, neglecting the left side of space

Question 8

syntactic space

Answer 8

no locative function, used to refer

Question 9

topographic space

Answer 9

showing real-world locations and spatial relationships

Question 10

evidence of syntactic and perceptual topographic space being ________

Answer 10

distinct

Question 11

what ways can language impact on cognition?

Answer 11

• motion analysis
• motion detection
• facial recognition
• mental rotation

Question 12

motion analysis: why are deaf signers more likely to draw the correct target?

Answer 12

they understand the difference between intentional phonological movements and transitional movements

Question 13

motion analysis: what do sign language skills lead to?

Answer 13

improved motion processing and analysis

Question 14

motion detection: why do signers have better peripheral vision?

Answer 14

due to looking at each others’ faces, rather than tracking the hands, when signing

Question 15

motion detection: where did signers detect motion more accurately?

Answer 15

right visual field, as language is predominantly processed in the left hemisphere
- better at using peripheral information in their left hemisphere

Question 16

motion detection: what does deafness enhance?

Answer 16

the ability to detect movement in peripheral vision

Question 17

motion detection: what does exposure to sign language cause?

Answer 17

shifts in motion processing to left hemispheres

Question 18

facial recognition: why are signers better at processing faces?

Answer 18

staring at these when making signs, as faces provide important grammatical cues, e.g., topic markers

Question 19

facial recognition: who performed better at facial discrimination tasks?

Answer 19

deaf children and signers performed better than non-signers

Question 20

facial recognition: what does experience with sign language affect?

Answer 20

the mechanisms specific to face processing, rather than general visual abilities

Question 21

mental rotation: how do signers use mental rotation during conversations?

Answer 21

people sign from their own perspective when describing the location of objects

Question 22

mental rotation: what can signing experience improve?

Answer 22

accuracy and RT of mental rotation

Question 23

what can sign languages be used to inform?

Answer 23

the aspects of language processing that:
- are universal to all languages
- are affected by audition vs vision
- are shaped by oral vs manual articulators