Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Effect of Iconicity on Phonetic and Phonological Processes in American Sign Language

博士论文研究：象似性对美国手语语音和音系过程的影响

• 批准号: 1941813
• 负责人: Elizabeth Zsiga
• 金额: $ 1.56万
• 依托单位: Georgetown University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-03-01 至 2023-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1941813&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Effect; Iconicity

This dissertation research project examines a difference in the structure of spoken and signed languages. Although they are gestural/visual rather than auditory, signed languages, such as American Sign Language (ASL), are full languages with equal expressive complexity. This has only been recently recognized, however, so ASL research is in its infancy. Comparing signed and spoken languages can reveal the basic cognitive principles that underlie human language. The present study focuses on iconicity, which means that a word or sign resembles its meaning. For example, the sounds in the English word 'pop' mimic a popping noise, and the arrangement of the arm and fingers in the ASL sign 'tree' resemble a tree trunk and branches. Most spoken words are not iconic, but iconic signs are the norm rather than the exception in ASL. This study asks whether iconicity impacts the grammatical patterns of ASL. Do iconic and non-iconic signs function differently? Answering this question will help us better understand how the physical form of a language (speech or sign) impacts its mental organization.To answer this question, grammatical patterns that occur in natural, everyday signing are compared in how they apply to iconic and non-iconic signs. Deaf adult participants are video recorded responding to open-ended prompts about Deaf cultural events. They then watch video clips of ASL signs and sentences in which specific grammatical patterns apply to iconic and non-iconic signs. They respond to each clip, indicating whether the ASL they saw is grammatically correct. If participants apply grammatical patterns differently to iconic versus non-iconic signs, this is evidence that iconicity is part of the grammatical structure of ASL, not just of individual signs, suggesting a fundamental difference from the structure of spoken languages. But if grammatical patterns apply in the same way to iconic and non-iconic signs, this suggests that even though individual signs are more iconic than spoken language words, this property does not impact the language’s grammatical structure. These findings will deepen our understanding of human language beyond what we can learn through spoken language research alone. This knowledge can inform a wide range of applications, such as language acquisition for Deaf babies and training for ASL interpreters. The video narratives collected in the study will be made publicly available and can also serve research in language teaching, interpretation, and Deaf cultural studies.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

本论文研究项目探讨口语和手语结构的差异。虽然它们是手势/视觉而不是听觉，但手语，如美国手语（ASL），是具有同样表达复杂性的完整语言。然而，这是最近才认识到的，所以美国手语的研究还处于起步阶段。比较手语和口语可以揭示人类语言的基本认知原理。本研究的重点是象似性，即一个词或符号与其意思相似。例如，英语单词“pop”的发音模仿了砰砰声，而手语“tree”中手臂和手指的排列类似于树干和树枝。大多数口语单词都没有符号，但符号符号在美国手语中是常态而不是例外。本研究探讨象似性是否影响美国手语的语法模式。标志性和非标志性标志的功能不同吗？回答这个问题将有助于我们更好地理解语言的物理形式（语音或手势）如何影响其心理组织。为了回答这个问题，我们比较了在自然的、日常的手语中出现的语法模式，看看它们是如何应用于符号和非符号的。成年聋人参与者在回答有关聋人文化活动的开放式提示时被录了下来。然后，他们观看美国手语符号和句子的视频片段，其中特定的语法模式适用于符号和非符号符号。他们对每个片段做出反应，表明他们看到的美国手语是否语法正确。如果参与者对符号符号和非符号符号使用不同的语法模式，这就证明了象似性是美国手语语法结构的一部分，而不仅仅是单个符号，这表明与口语结构存在根本差异。但是，如果语法模式以同样的方式适用于标志性和非标志性符号，这表明，即使个别符号比口语单词更具标志性，这种特性并不影响语言的语法结构。这些发现将加深我们对人类语言的理解，而不仅仅是通过口头语言研究。这些知识可以提供广泛的应用，例如聋儿的语言习得和美国手语口译员的培训。研究中收集的视频叙述将对外公开，也可用于语言教学、口译和聋人文化研究。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

项目成果

The Effect of Iconicity on Weak Hand Drop in American Sign Language

美国手语中象征性对弱手落下的影响

• DOI: 10.3765/amp.v9i0.5305
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: Proceedings of the Annual Meetings on Phonology
• 作者: Becker, Amelia Ann