Sign Languages Flashcards
myths about sign language
there is no universal sign language
sign languages exhibit the same expressive power as spoken languages
what is the structure of sign language?
smaller units are combined to create higher levels of structure, which are constrained by syntactic rules
what is the sub-lexical phonology of signs?
- handshape
- location
- movement
why do slips-of-the-hand occur?
phonological units can be transposed, anticipated, or perseverated
- because signs are not produced as holistic gestures
what do TOTs suggest about processing stages in spoken language?
independent processing stages for:
- word meaning
- word form
what do TOFs provide evidence of?
signers also having independent access to meaning (semantics) and form (phonology)
what happens to patients with neglect?
they experience grammatical syntactic representations based on spatial location, neglecting the left side of space
syntactic space
no locative function, used to refer
topographic space
showing real-world locations and spatial relationships
evidence of syntactic and perceptual topographic space being ________
distinct
what ways can language impact on cognition?
- motion analysis
- motion detection
- facial recognition
- mental rotation
motion analysis: why are deaf signers more likely to draw the correct target?
they understand the difference between intentional phonological movements and transitional movements
motion analysis: what do sign language skills lead to?
improved motion processing and analysis
motion detection: why do signers have better peripheral vision?
due to looking at each others’ faces, rather than tracking the hands, when signing
motion detection: where did signers detect motion more accurately?
right visual field, as language is predominantly processed in the left hemisphere
- better at using peripheral information in their left hemisphere
motion detection: what does deafness enhance?
the ability to detect movement in peripheral vision
motion detection: what does exposure to sign language cause?
shifts in motion processing to left hemispheres
facial recognition: why are signers better at processing faces?
staring at these when making signs, as faces provide important grammatical cues, e.g., topic markers
facial recognition: who performed better at facial discrimination tasks?
deaf children and signers performed better than non-signers
facial recognition: what does experience with sign language affect?
the mechanisms specific to face processing, rather than general visual abilities
mental rotation: how do signers use mental rotation during conversations?
people sign from their own perspective when describing the location of objects
mental rotation: what can signing experience improve?
accuracy and RT of mental rotation
what can sign languages be used to inform?
the aspects of language processing that:
- are universal to all languages
- are affected by audition vs vision
- are shaped by oral vs manual articulators
