Sign Language Case Study

Words: 939
Pages: 4
Open Document
2. Introduction to Sign language: modality independence, sign elements and acquisition
Sign language is the principal language of the deaf community. It is a naturally occurring language and it does not follow the pattern and grammar of any spoken language. It evolves within the deaf community and has its independent form and structure. It provides the deaf with the ability to express themselves with ease Kyle and Woll (1985), Senghas (1995), Valli et al (2011), Zeshan (2000).
2.1 The modularity of mind and modality independence
The study of sign language follows from the claim that language instantiation is independent of its modality. According to the hypothesis of “the modularity of mind”, language is a separate module in the brain differentiated …show more content…
Results showed that the left hemisphere in the brain which controls linguistic abilities (language production and comprehension) in spoken language also regulates sign language processing. “Damage to the left hemisphere produces sign language aphasias that are parallel to spoken language aphasias, while damage to the right hemisphere does not” Emmorey et al (2013: 158). Deaf signers who have lesions in the left frontal cortex exhibit Broca’s aphasia-like symptoms such as effortful signing with reduced grammatical complexity, similar to effortful speech in hearing patients who suffer from Broca’ aphasia. Damage to the left hemisphere also results in poorer sign comprehension. Therefore, the brain is lateralized not only for spoken language but also for sign language. The neural circuits responsible for language functions remain impartial to Language in different …show more content…
They are produced using hand shape, hand movement and hand orientation and location (place where the hand is placed) which are the formational elements of a sign.

2.2.1. Iconic signs
Iconic signs are mimetic signs which have a one-to-one relation between the sign and the meaning. “Iconic means that the form of the symbol is an icon or representation of some aspect of the thing or activity being symbolized” Valli et al (2011:4). The signer tends to act out an event. Consider the examples below collected by the researcher from ISLH.

1. EAT WRITE

2.2.2. Non- iconic signs
Non- iconic signs do not have a one-to-one relation between the sign and the meaning. They are arbitrary and do not reflect the form of the thing or activity being symbolized.
2. JUMP
Show More

Related Documents: Sign Language Case Study

PY2 Gardner 2013 Essay example

and Gardner (1969) “Teaching Sign Language to a Chimpanzee” PY2 Section A Q1: Summarise the aims and context of Gardner and Gardner’s (1969) research ‘Teaching Sign Language to a Chimpanzee’ [12]. Historically, it has been argued that one of the main things that make humans different from animals is our ability to talk. While most animals communicate it is argued that only humans have language. Dogs for example communicate using a variety of physical cues, body language and barks. However, it would…

Words 2383 - Pages 10

How Does American Sign Language Affect Children

Impact American Sign Language Has on Language Development in Children American Sign Language (ASL) is a complete, complex language that employs signs made by moving hands combined with facial expressions and postures of the body. Sign Language has its own vocabulary and grammar system. It is the primary language of many North Americans who are deaf and people who are hard-of-hearing (source). Throughout history, there has been a long-standing debate on whether using ASL, a visual language, enhances or…

Words 1687 - Pages 7

Essay on Semiotics and Signs

evaluate its strengths and weaknesses for interpreting at least one twentieth century artist or artistic movement. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Semiotics, a well established discipline of signs and their use in human and computer communications, is increasingly recognized as important to understanding information systems and computing in general. This important new resource examines a set of semiotic methods for information…

Words 1762 - Pages 8

Louis Laurent Clerc Essay

Louis Laurent Marie Clerc, nicknamed "The Apostle of the Deaf in America," is recognized as one of the founding members of American Sign Language. If he had not come to the United States of America, ASL would have never existed and thus would never revolutionize deaf culture and deaf education in modern America today. Born in France on December 26th 1782, Laurent Clerc was not originally deaf by birth. Clerc was born with the sense of hearing, but when he was one year old, he fell into a furnace…

Words 790 - Pages 4

Anthro 33 Midterm Study Gudie Essay

The Big 6: Boundaries: In group and out groups: Age Slang/Jargon Regional Boundaries Hierarchies: Rankings of language us: Standard v. non-standard (good v. bad) Proper v. Improper Performance: Implementation of knowledge Accountability for form and content Assessment & Monitoring: Paying attention to other’s/own language use to determine how to categorize them Variation: The distinguishable aspects of all linguistics and social levels Socialization: Becoming a member of groups:…

Words 2586 - Pages 11

Essay on Sign Language and Black Asl

Chambers November 17, 2012 Prof. S. Chelala. Sociolinguistics: The study of language and linguistic behavior as influenced by social and cultural factors. -Dictionary.com What do sociolinguistics study, they study the relationship between language and society. They are interested in explaining why we speak differently in different social contexts, and they are concerned with identifying the social functions of language and the ways it is used to convey social meaning. For the purpose of this…

Words 2086 - Pages 9

State What You Would Do To Overcome Communication Difficulties

Case study 1 Case Study 1 State what you would do to overcome the communication difficulties in each of the following situations. 1. a) Communicating with a service user who is deaf but can lip read. If I were to communicate with a service user who was deaf but could lip read, I would make sure I spoke very clear and didn’t use Jaron. As well as that I would try to emphasise my lip movements to try to make it clearer as to what I was saying. However if this did not work, I could write down what…

Words 1067 - Pages 5

Essay about Media Text Analysis

particular semiotic codes. The semiology study in particular is based on theory developed by Saussure and Pierce and means study of the signs in the text. According to Saussure the ‘language is a system of signs that express ideas’ (Saussure 1915/1966 cited in Berger, 2012:7). When media analysis is made it is about to show the relationship between the signs in certain text. Pierce states that everything we do can be seen as sign. According to him the signs can be iconic, symbolical and dimensions…

Words 1181 - Pages 5

Cross-Cultural Miscommunication

Body language is nonverbal communication that involves the posture, direction of movement, and speed of movement of one’s body. The meaning of nonverbal communication varies depending on the context it is used in. There are a number of features of nonverbal communication. They include gestural communication, eye communication, spatial communication and facial communication. Unlike verbal communication, body language can often aid to cross cultural and lingual barriers, however this is not always…

Words 859 - Pages 4

Study Guide Essay

General Introduction • Linguistic knowledge ○ Part of knowing a language means: knowing what sounds (or signs) are in a language and what sounds are not (how they start, end, middle); certain sequences of sounds signify certain concepts or meanings; being able to produce new sentences and to understand sentences never heard before • Different kinds of linguistic knowledge - also represented as different parts of language competence ○ phonology (sound/gesture systems); ■ Note: phonological…

Words 1834 - Pages 8