How are signed languages learned as second languages?

Marshall, Chloë; Bel, Aurora; Gulamani, Sannah; Morgan, Gary

doi:10.1111/lnc3.12403

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 48 publications

(64 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…It would be interesting to consider the challenges they face when the same sign forms occur in their L1 and L2 with different meanings. The L2 learning of sign languages is rarely studied, and the answers to these questions are still incomplete at best (Marshall et al., 2021; Schönström, 2021).…”

Section: Limitations and Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Which Aspects of Visual Motivation Aid the Implicit Learning of Signs at First Exposure?

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We investigated whether sign‐naïve learners can infer and learn the meaning of signs after minimal exposure to continuous, naturalistic input in the form of a weather forecast in Swedish Sign Language. Participants were L1‐English adults. Two experimental groups watched the forecast once (n = 40) or twice (n = 42); a control group did not (n = 42). Participants were then asked to assign meaning to 22 target signs. We explored predictors of meaning assignment with respect to item occurrence frequency and three facets of visual motivation: iconicity, transparency, and gesture similarity. Meaning assignment was enhanced by exposure and item frequency, thereby providing evidence for implicit language learning in a new modality, even under challenging naturalistic conditions. Accuracy was also contingent upon iconicity and transparency, but not upon gesture similarity. Meaning assignment at first exposure is thus visually motivated, although the overall low accuracy rates and further qualitative analyses suggest that visually motivated meaning assignment is not always successful.

show abstract

Section: Limitations and Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Which Aspects of Visual Motivation Aid the Implicit Learning of Signs at First Exposure?

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Sometimes, these gestures appear together with speech, cospeech gestures, and sometimes, they are used to complement or replace speech (Özyürek, 2012). Several studies have suggested that such gestural knowledge used in spoken languages can be beneficial for M2 learners' acquisition of sign languages (Casey and Emmorey, 2009;Chen-Pichler and Koulidobrova, 2015;Ortega et al, 2019;Marshall et al, 2021).…”

Section: Sign Second Language Acquisition (Ssla)mentioning

confidence: 99%

L2M1 and L2M2 Acquisition of Sign Lexicon: The Impact of Multimodality on the Sign Second Language Acquisition

Schönström

Holmström

2022

Front. Psychol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In second language research, the concept of cross-linguistic influence or transfer has frequently been used to describe the interaction between the first language (L1) and second language (L2) in the L2 acquisition process. However, less is known about the L2 acquisition of a sign language in general and specifically the differences in the acquisition process of L2M2 learners (learners learning a sign language for the first time) and L2M1 learners (signers learning another sign language) from a multimodal perspective. Our study explores the influence of modality knowledge on learning Swedish Sign Language through a descriptive analysis of the sign lexicon in narratives produced by L2M1 and L2M2 learners, respectively. A descriptive mixed-methods framework was used to analyze narratives of adult L2M1 (n = 9) and L2M2 learners (n = 15), with a focus on sign lexicon, i.e., use and distribution of the sign types such as lexical signs, depicting signs (classifier predicates), fingerspelling, pointing, and gestures. The number and distribution of the signs are later compared between the groups. In addition, a comparison with a control group consisting of L1 signers (n = 9) is provided. The results suggest that L2M2 learners exhibit cross-modal cross-linguistic transfer from Swedish (through higher usage of lexical signs and fingerspelling). L2M1 learners exhibits same-modal cross-linguistic transfer from L1 sign languages (through higher usage of depicting signs and use of signs from L1 sign language and international signs). The study suggests that it is harder for L2M2 learners to acquire the modality-specific lexicon, despite possible underlying gestural knowledge. Furthermore, the study suggests that L2M1 learners’ access to modality-specific knowledge, overlapping access to gestural knowledge and iconicity, facilitates faster L2 lexical acquisition, which is discussed from the perspective of linguistic relativity (including modality) and its role in sign L2 acquisition.

show abstract

“…Previous studies on M2L2 adult learners have shown that they do transfer gestural handshapes in spoken language to sign language (i.e., transfer phonological information), for example, handshape between M1L1 (their spoken first language) and M2L2 (the sign language being learned) (see for example Chen Pichler, 2011;Chen Pichler & Koulidobrova, 2016;Williams & Newman, 2017;Beal, 2020;Marshall, Bel, Gulamani & Morgan, 2020). These handshapes come from gestures that co-occur with spoken language and are different from handshapes in lexical signs, leading to an incorrect production of the lexical sign, i.e., the sign YES in ASL made with "fist" handshape instead of using the S handshape (Chen Pichler & Koulidobrova, 2016).…”

Section: Language Learning (M2l2)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Raising Handshape Awareness

Ivanova¹,

Sverrisdóttir

Þorvaldsdóttir³

2022

Hrvat. rev. rehabil. istraž. (Online)

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Although previous research shows that the use of rhyme in early language stimulation has a positive impact on children’s sign language development, this area of sign language acquisition has not been adequately researched. 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents who barely know sign language before their child is born, and yet they are the primary language role models in their child’s life. As L2 sign language users, hearing parents of deaf children teach language skills in their L2 to their deaf child who acquires sign language as one of their L1s. In this article, we focus on the potential application of the Icelandic Sign Language (ÍTM) handshape inventory in both early language intervention with signing children and in teaching ÍTM as an L2. We argue that the handshape inventory can be used as a teaching tool when teaching sign language as M2L2 to hearing adults and as a visual language stimulation tool for signing children (M1L1 or M2L1). The main purpose of using the handshape inventory is to raise phonological awareness of signing children and adults learning sign language. This can be done by explicitly teaching handshapes to adult learners and using signed rhymes in early language stimulation.

show abstract

How are signed languages learned as second languages?

Cited by 10 publications

References 48 publications

Which Aspects of Visual Motivation Aid the Implicit Learning of Signs at First Exposure?

Which Aspects of Visual Motivation Aid the Implicit Learning of Signs at First Exposure?

L2M1 and L2M2 Acquisition of Sign Lexicon: The Impact of Multimodality on the Sign Second Language Acquisition

Raising Handshape Awareness

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About