U.S.-Western Europe Regional Cooperative Research: Analyses of Code Accessibility and Acquisition in Children Across Multiple Signed, Spoken, and Written Languages

该奖项部分支持教授基思纳尔逊和菲利普普林茨 宾夕法尼亚州立大学的合作研究， 语言学教授Siegmund Prillwitz的大学 汉堡和Inger Ahlgren，Lenore Arnberg和Peter Arnberg 斯德哥尔摩大学。 他们正在合作进行研究， 进一步了解儿童利用 可用的语言输入，以便分析和获取新的规则， 不同语言模式的技能（口语、书面语和手语）。 先前和持续的实验和观察研究， 美国的共同主要研究人员已经证明， 随时处理和利用答复自己的发言和签署 当孩子的回答把孩子的意思改写成相关的， 更复杂的句子结构。 这种影响已经在 手语和口语的习得。 是 假设相似的习得过程和输入效果 当儿童获得新的文本时， 技能（如阅读和写作）和第二语言技能。 这 合作将联合收割机结合多种手语的研究（德语， 瑞典和美国）和儿童的阅读和写作能力 其第一语言可能是这些手语中的任何一种或占主导地位的语言， 少数民族语言在相应的国家。 这种多样性 的主题将允许更严格的测试过程假设比 可以通过集中精力在美国英语， 只有美国。 合作将包括密切的过程 通过理解和反应分析新获得的技能 时间测试使用微型计算机，在各种代码， 任何一个孩子都能接触到。 跨语言分析 在不同的代码掌握水平的相似性和差异将是 追求。 美国调查人员正在进行的和先前的工作， 他们的欧洲合作者为交流提供了丰富的基础， 在这些研究课题上的合作。 跨语言的工作是必要的，然后才能得出结论， 语言习得机制的普遍性。 协调 在美国的研究，联邦德国和瑞典可能会导致相当大的 扩大跨语言和跨文化的有效性， 合作者在获取多种通信过程中的工作 代码. 虽然研究是面向过程的， 将理论进步转化为教育程序的进步 在特殊教育、第二语言学习、 和识字技能培训。 研究成果的利用和完善 诸如计算机动画标志和图形等技术有望 对其他研究视觉语言刺激的团队也有好处。

This award partially supports Professors Keith Nelson and Philip Prinz of Pennsylvania State University for collaborative research in linguistics with Professors Siegmund Prillwitz of the University of Hamburg and Inger Ahlgren, Lenore Arnberg and Peter Arnberg of the University of Stockholm. They are collaborating in research designed to further our understanding of the processes by which children utilize available language input in order to analyze and acquire new rules and skills in different linguistic modes (spoken, written and signed). Prior and continuing experimental and observational research by the American co-principal investigators has demonstrated that children readily process and make use of replies to their own speech and sign utterances when the replies recast the child's meanings into related but more complex sentence structures. This effect has been seen in the acquisition of sign language as well as spoken language. It is hypothesized that similar acquisition processes and effects of input components (such as recasts) are involved when children acquire new text skills (such as reading and writing) and second language skills. This collaboration will combine studies of multiple sign languages (German, Swedish and American) and reading and writing acquisition by children whose first language may be any of these sign languages or a dominant or minority spoken language in the corresponding countries. Such diversity of subjects will allow more rigorous testing of process assumptions than could possibly be achieved by concentrating on American English in the United States alone. The collaboration will include close process analyses of newly acquired skills through comprehension and reaction time testing using microcomputers, in the various codes that are accessible to any individual child. Analyses of cross linguistic similarities and differences at varied levels of code mastery will be pursued. The ongoing and prior work of the American investigators and their European collaborators provide a rich foundation for exchange and collaboration on these research topics. Cross-linguistic work is necessary before conclusions can be drawn about the universality of language acquisition mechanisms. Coordinated research in the U.S., the FRG, and Sweden may lead to a considerable expansion of the cross-language and cross-cultural validity of the collaborators' work on the processes of acquiring multiple communication codes. Although the research is process oriented, rather rapid conversion of theoretical advances to advances in educational procedures is expected in the areas of special education, second language learning, and literacy skill training. The use and refinement of research techniques such as the computer-animated signs and graphics promises to benefit other research teams that work with visual language stimuli.