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.

本论文研究项目研究了口语和手语结构的差异，尽管它们是手势/视觉而不是听觉，但手语，例如美国手语（ASL），是具有相同表达复杂性的完整语言。然而，ASL 研究还处于起步阶段，可以揭示人类语言的基本认知原理。目前的研究重点是象似性，即单词或符号与其含义相似。例如，声音。英语单词“pop”中的“pop”模仿了爆裂声，美国手语“tree”中手臂和手指的排列类似于树干和树枝。这项研究询问标志性符号和非标志性符号的功能是否不同？ .为了回答这个问题，比较自然日常手语中出现的语法模式如何应用于标志性和非标志性手语 聋人成年参与者被录制视频以响应有关聋人文化活动的开放式提示，然后他们观看美国手语手语和句子的视频剪辑。其中特定的语法模式适用于标志性和非标志性符号，他们对每个剪辑做出反应，表明他们看到的 ASL 在语法上是否正确。如果参与者对标志性符号和非标志性符号应用不同的语法模式，这就是证据。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的一部分，这表明它与口语结构存在根本区别，但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，这表明即使如此。单个符号比口语单词更具标志性，这一特性不会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，超出我们仅通过口语研究所能学到的知识。比如语言习得研究中收集的视频叙述将公开，并且还可以服务于语言教学、口译和聋人文化研究。该奖项是 NSF 的法定使命，并被认为值得通过以下方式支持：使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估。

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