Phonological reduplication in sign language: rules rule
Productivity—the hallmark of linguistic competence—is typically attributed to algebraic rules that support broad generalizations. Past research on spoken language has documented such generalizations in both adults and infants. But whether algebraic rules form part of the linguistic competence of sig...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2014-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00560/full |
| _version_ | 1818118362349174784 |
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| author | Iris eBerent Amanda eDupuis Diane eBrentari |
| author_facet | Iris eBerent Amanda eDupuis Diane eBrentari |
| author_sort | Iris eBerent |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Productivity—the hallmark of linguistic competence—is typically attributed to algebraic rules that support broad generalizations. Past research on spoken language has documented such generalizations in both adults and infants. But whether algebraic rules form part of the linguistic competence of signers remains unknown. To address this question, here we gauge the generalization afforded by American Sign Language (ASL). As a case study, we examine reduplication (X→XX)—a rule that, inter alia, generates ASL nouns from verbs. If signers encode this rule, then they should freely extend it to novel syllables, including ones with features that are unattested in ASL. And since reduplicated disyllables are preferred in ASL, such rule should favor novel reduplicated signs. Novel reduplicated signs should thus be preferred to nonreduplicative controls (in rating), and consequently, such stimuli should also be harder to classify as nonsigns (in the lexical decision task). The results of four experiments support this prediction. These findings suggest that the phonological knowledge of signers includes powerful algebraic rules. The convergence between these conclusions and previous evidence for phonological rules in spoken language suggests that the architecture of the phonological mind is partly amodal. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T04:53:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-04dd45f4719148e98ea20b623ea26511 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T04:53:06Z |
| publishDate | 2014-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-04dd45f4719148e98ea20b623ea265112022-12-22T01:20:20ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782014-06-01510.3389/fpsyg.2014.0056096556Phonological reduplication in sign language: rules ruleIris eBerent0Amanda eDupuis1Diane eBrentari2University of ChicagoUniversity of ChicagoUniversity of ChicagoProductivity—the hallmark of linguistic competence—is typically attributed to algebraic rules that support broad generalizations. Past research on spoken language has documented such generalizations in both adults and infants. But whether algebraic rules form part of the linguistic competence of signers remains unknown. To address this question, here we gauge the generalization afforded by American Sign Language (ASL). As a case study, we examine reduplication (X→XX)—a rule that, inter alia, generates ASL nouns from verbs. If signers encode this rule, then they should freely extend it to novel syllables, including ones with features that are unattested in ASL. And since reduplicated disyllables are preferred in ASL, such rule should favor novel reduplicated signs. Novel reduplicated signs should thus be preferred to nonreduplicative controls (in rating), and consequently, such stimuli should also be harder to classify as nonsigns (in the lexical decision task). The results of four experiments support this prediction. These findings suggest that the phonological knowledge of signers includes powerful algebraic rules. The convergence between these conclusions and previous evidence for phonological rules in spoken language suggests that the architecture of the phonological mind is partly amodal.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00560/fullrulesphonologylexical decisionreduplicationsign langauge |
| spellingShingle | Iris eBerent Amanda eDupuis Diane eBrentari Phonological reduplication in sign language: rules rule Frontiers in Psychology rules phonology lexical decision reduplication sign langauge |
| title | Phonological reduplication in sign language: rules rule |
| title_full | Phonological reduplication in sign language: rules rule |
| title_fullStr | Phonological reduplication in sign language: rules rule |
| title_full_unstemmed | Phonological reduplication in sign language: rules rule |
| title_short | Phonological reduplication in sign language: rules rule |
| title_sort | phonological reduplication in sign language rules rule |
| topic | rules phonology lexical decision reduplication sign langauge |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00560/full |
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