Bimodal Bilingualism

描述（由申请人提供）：语言符号双语是例外，因为不同的感觉运动模式允许同时生产和感知两种语言。单模态（言语-言语）双语者可能会在两种语言之间进行语码转换，而双模态（言语-符号）双语者则会产生语码混合（同时进行符号和言语）。我们调查的后果的感觉运动的差异，在语言模态的心理语言学的双语，共同语音手势的功能，和双语大脑的性质。听力ASL-英语双语者将被研究，因为这两种语言在这些人的环境中自然是无障碍的。我们沿着沿着三条线索进行调查：双峰双语的心理语言学：使用行为任务，我们调查了两种模式的双语词典的结构，双峰双语语言相互联系的水平，以及双峰双语者如何控制他们的两个语言系统。我们假设，在一般情况下，双峰和单峰双语者是非常相似的，但独特的影响双峰双语将被发现在识别和生产的代码混合。二.双模态双语与共语手势之间的关系：与语码转换不同，语码混合与共语手势（伴随口语的自发手势）具有某些特性。对于两者来说，有意义的手动手势都是与语音同时产生的。我们探讨了1）双峰代码混合和单峰代码转换之间的相似性和差异，2）代码混合和协同语音手势之间的相似性和差异，以及3）获得手语对协同语音手势的影响。三.双峰双语的认知神经心理学：使用功能成像，我们解决了以下问题：什么样的模式重叠和不同的激活观察美国手语和英语口语在词汇和语法水平？美国手语习得的年龄如何影响符号理解过程中招募的神经系统？就语言系统的神经组织而言，在发育早期习得两种口语与早期习得手语和口语是否不同？成为双模态双语者是否会影响非语言视觉处理的神经组织？这些问题的答案不仅会告诉我们双语大脑的发展，而且还将提供深入了解神经可塑性和语言半球专业化的决定因素。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Speech-sign bilingualism is exceptional because distinct sensory-motoric modalities allow for the simultaneous production and perception of two languages. Whereas unimodal (speech-speech) bilinguals may code-switch between their two languages, bimodal (speech-sign) bilinguals produce code-blends (simultaneous sign and speech). We investigate the consequences of the sensory-motoric differences in language modality for the psycholinguistics of bilingualism, for the features of co-speech gesture, and for the nature of the bilingual brain. Hearing ASL-English bilinguals will be studied because both languages are naturally accessible in the environment for these individuals. We proceed along three lines of inquiry: I. The psycholinguistics of bimodal bilingualism: Using behavioral tasks, we investigate the architecture of the bilingual lexicon across two modalities, the levels at which a bimodal bilinguars languages are interconnected, and how bimodal bilinguals control their two language systems. We hypothesize that, in general, bimodal and unimodal bilinguals are quite similar, but unique effects of bimodal bilingualism will be found in the recognition and production of code-blends. II. The relation between bimodal bilingualism and co-speech gesture: Unlike code-switching, code-blending shares certain properties with co-speech gesture (the spontaneous gestures that accompany spoken language). For both, meaningful manual gestures are produced simultaneously with speech. We explore 1) parallels and differences between bimodal code blending and unimodal code-switching, 2) parallels and differences between code-blending and co-speech gesture, and 3) the impact of acquiring a signed language on co-speech gesture. III. The cognitive neuropsychology of bimodal bilingualism: Using functional imaging, we address the following questions: What patterns of overlapping and distinct activation are observed for ASL and spoken English at the lexical and sentential levels? How does age of ASL acquisition impact the neural systems recruited during sign comprehension? Does acquisition of two spoken languages early in development differ from early acquisition of a signed and a spoken language with respect to the neural organization of language systems? Does becoming a bimodal bilingual impact the neural organization for non-linguistic visual processing? Answers to these questions will not only inform us about the development of the bilingual brain but will also provide insight into the determinants of neural plasticity and the hemispheric specialization for language.