Sign Language

Abstract

What would language be like if its transmission were not based on the vocal tract and the ear? How is language organized when it is based instead on the hands moving in space, and the eyes? Do these transmission channel differences result in any deeper differences? The existence of primary signed languages allow us to inquire about the determinants of language organization from a new perspective. Recent research into primary signed languages passed down from one generation of deaf people to the next has made clear that there are many different signed languages arising independently of one another, and of the spoken languages of their surrounding communities. At their core, spoken and signed languages are found to be essentially the same in terms of organizational principles and rule systems. Nevertheless, on the surface, signed and spoken languages differ markedly. American Sign Language (ASL) and other signed languages display complex linguistic structure, but unlike spoken languages, convey much of their structure by manipulating spatial relations, making use of spatial contrasts at all linguistic levels. The surface and core properties of spoken and signed languages allow us to examine in depth the neurological basis for language and the human capacity for creating linguistic systems in a new way.