Abstract
Language is produced by bodies that evolved to fulfill a variety of functions, most of them non-communicative. Vestigial influences of adaptation for quadrupedal locomotion are still affecting bimanual actions, and have consequences on manual communication systems such as sign languages of the deaf. We discuss how central pattern generators (CPGs), networks of nerve cells in the spinal cord that drive locomotion, influence bimanual actions with alternating movements to be produced with repeated motion. We demonstrate this influence with data from three unrelated sign languages, American Sign Language, British Sign Language, and Hong Kong Sign Language: in all three sign languages two-handed balanced signs produced with alternating movements have a tendency to be repeated, whereas other types of two-handed balanced signs show the opposite tendency for single movements. These tendencies cannot be fully explained by factors such as iconicity. We propose a motoric account for these results: as alternating bimanual movements are influenced by locomotor patterns, they favor repeated movements.
Highlights
Language is produced by the body, which means that in language emergence the body must play a crucial role by favoring signals that are easy to articulate (Stavness et al, 2012)
Some phonological rules do not apply to two-handed signs with alternating movement: e.g., under certain circumstances it is possible to drop the nondominant hand from a two-handed sign; if the sign has an alternating movement, such weak drop is prohibited (Battison, 1974; Padden and Perlmutter, 1987; Brentari 1998), especially if the alternating movement in the sign is iconic
We examine data from three genetically unrelated sign languages: American Sign Language (ASL), British Sign Language (BSL), and Hong Kong Sign Language (HKSL) (ASL belongs to the French Sign Language family, BSL to the British Sign Language family, and HKSL to the Chinese Sign Language family (Wittmann, 1991))
Summary
Language is produced by the body, which means that in language emergence the body must play a crucial role by favoring signals that are easy to articulate (Stavness et al, 2012). The body has many other, non-communicative functions, and has evolved to fulfill these functions. As nature is a great tinkerer (Jacob, 1977), the body often employs older adaptations to fulfill new duties. We argue that some properties of sign languages can be explained by such adaptations, and we draw parallels with spoken languages. CPGs have been suggested to play a role in speech (MacNeilage, 1998). We will show how CPGs affect two-handed balanced signs in sign languages
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