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Articles 61 - 90 of 135
Full-Text Articles in Linguistics
Influence Of Predicate Sense On Word Order In Sign Languages: Intensional And Extensional Verbs, Donna Jo Napoli, R. Sutton Spence, R. Müller De Quadros
Influence Of Predicate Sense On Word Order In Sign Languages: Intensional And Extensional Verbs, Donna Jo Napoli, R. Sutton Spence, R. Müller De Quadros
Linguistics Faculty Works
We present evidence for the influence of semantics on the order of subject, object, and verb in Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) sentences. While some have argued for a prevailing pattern of SVO in Libras, we find a strong tendency for this order in sentences that do not presuppose the existence of the verb’s object, but not in sentences that do, which instead favor SOV. These findings are coherent with those of a recent study on gesture. We argue that the variable influence of the relevant predicates is particularly salient in sign languages, due to the iconic nature of the visual …
Discourses Of Prejudice In The Professions: The Case Of Sign Languages, T. Humphries, P. Kushalnagar, G. Mathur, Donna Jo Napoli, C. Padden, C. Rathmann, S. Smith
Discourses Of Prejudice In The Professions: The Case Of Sign Languages, T. Humphries, P. Kushalnagar, G. Mathur, Donna Jo Napoli, C. Padden, C. Rathmann, S. Smith
Linguistics Faculty Works
There is no evidence that learning a natural human language is cognitively harmful to children. To the contrary, multilingualism has been argued to be beneficial to all. Nevertheless, many professionals advise the parents of deaf children that their children should not learn a sign language during their early years, despite strong evidence across many research disciplines that sign languages are natural human languages. Their recommendations are based on a combination of misperceptions about (1) the difficulty of learning a sign language, (2) the effects of bilingualism, and particularly bimodalism, (3) the bona fide status of languages that lack a written …
Review Of "Introducing Sign Language Literature: Folklore And Creativity" By R. Sutton-Spence And M. Kaneko, Donna Jo Napoli
Review Of "Introducing Sign Language Literature: Folklore And Creativity" By R. Sutton-Spence And M. Kaneko, Donna Jo Napoli
Linguistics Faculty Works
No abstract provided.
Suggestions For A Parametric Typology Of Dance, Donna Jo Napoli, L. Kraus
Suggestions For A Parametric Typology Of Dance, Donna Jo Napoli, L. Kraus
Linguistics Faculty Works
Dance and language are produced/performed by the body and governed by cognitive faculties. Yet regrettably little scholarship applies tools of formal analysis in one field to the other. This paper aims to enrich dialogue between the two fields. We introduce an approach to dance typology formed on analogy with the parametric theory of language analysis, useful in typologizing languages. This initial exploration paves the way for a physiological typology of dance, without reference to culture.
Iconicity Chains In Sign Languages, Donna Jo Napoli
Iconicity Chains In Sign Languages, Donna Jo Napoli
Linguistics Faculty Works
No abstract provided.
Syllable-Aware Neural Language Models: A Failure To Beat Character-Aware Ones, Z. Assylbekov, R. Takhanov, B. Myrzakhmetov, Jonathan North Washington
Syllable-Aware Neural Language Models: A Failure To Beat Character-Aware Ones, Z. Assylbekov, R. Takhanov, B. Myrzakhmetov, Jonathan North Washington
Linguistics Faculty Works
Syllabification does not seem to improve word-level RNN language modeling quality when compared to character-based segmentation. However, our best syllable-aware language model, achieving performance comparable to the competitive character-aware model, has 18%-33% fewer parameters and is trained 1.2-2.2 times faster.
Ud Annotatrix: An Annotation Tool For Universal Dependencies, F. M. Tyers, M. Sheyanova, Jonathan North Washington
Ud Annotatrix: An Annotation Tool For Universal Dependencies, F. M. Tyers, M. Sheyanova, Jonathan North Washington
Linguistics Faculty Works
In this paper we introduce the UD Annotatrix annotation tool for manual annotation of Universal Dependencies. This tool has been designed with the aim that it should be tailored to the needs of the Universal Dependencies (UD) community, including that it should operate in fully-offline mode, and is freely-available under the GNU GPL licence. In this paper, we provide some background to the tool, an overview of its development, and background on how it works. We compare it with some other widely-used tools which are used for Universal Dependencies annotation, describe some features unique to UD Annotatrix, and finally outline …
Avoiding Linguistic Neglect Of Deaf Children, T. Humphries, P. Kushalnagar, G. Mathur, Donna Jo Napoli, C. Padden, C. Rathmann, S. Smith
Avoiding Linguistic Neglect Of Deaf Children, T. Humphries, P. Kushalnagar, G. Mathur, Donna Jo Napoli, C. Padden, C. Rathmann, S. Smith
Linguistics Faculty Works
Deaf children who are not provided with a sign language early in their development are at risk of linguistic deprivation; they may never be fluent in any language, and they may have deficits in cognitive activities that rely on a firm foundation in a first language. These children are socially and emotionally isolated. Deafness makes a child vulnerable to abuse, and linguistic deprivation compounds the abuse because the child is less able to report it. Parents rely on professionals as guides in making responsible choices in raising and educating their deaf children. But lack of expertise on language acquisition and …
Fun Bilingual-Bimodal Ebooks For Deaf Children, Donna Jo Napoli, E. R. Mirus
Fun Bilingual-Bimodal Ebooks For Deaf Children, Donna Jo Napoli, E. R. Mirus
Linguistics Faculty Works
Ebooks provide new ways to advance developing literacy among deaf children. While some aim to promote literacy through explicit pedagogical techniques, the new ebooks described here aim only to offer stories that are fun to share, encouraging learning through interaction that naturally fosters language and preliteracy skills. Reading for pleasure is recognized as valuable for hearing children; it needs to be recognized as such for deaf children. We present the rationale for these ebooks and give examples of how they advance preliteracy skills, in the hopes that those raising and educating deaf children will use them, offered gratis on the …
Reactive Effort As A Factor That Shapes Sign Language Lexicons, N. Sanders, Donna Jo Napoli
Reactive Effort As A Factor That Shapes Sign Language Lexicons, N. Sanders, Donna Jo Napoli
Linguistics Faculty Works
Many properties of languages, including sign languages, are not uniformly distributed among items in the lexicon. Some of this nonuniformity can be accounted for by appeal to articulatory ease, with easier articulations being overrepresented in the lexicon in comparison to more difficult articulations. The literature on ease of articulation deals only with the active effort internal to the articulation itself. We note the existence of a previously unstudied aspect of articulatory ease, which we call reactive effort: the effort of resisting incidental movement that has been induced by an articulation elsewhere in the body. For example, reactive effort is needed …
A Cross-Linguistic Preference For Torso Stability In The Lexicon: Evidence From 24 Sign Languages, N. Sanders, Donna Jo Napoli
A Cross-Linguistic Preference For Torso Stability In The Lexicon: Evidence From 24 Sign Languages, N. Sanders, Donna Jo Napoli
Linguistics Faculty Works
When the arms move in certain ways, they can cause the torso to twist or rock. Such extraneous torso movement is undesirable, especially during sign language communication, when torso position may carry linguistic significance, so we expend effort to resist it when it is not intended. This so-called “reactive effort” has only recently been identified by Sanders and Napoli (2016), but their preliminary work on three genetically unrelated languages suggests that the effects of reactive effort can be observed cross-linguistically by examination of sign language lexicons. In particular, the frequency of different kinds of manual movements in the lexicon correlates …
Shared Reading Activities: A Recommendation For Deaf Children, Donna Jo Napoli, G. Mirus
Shared Reading Activities: A Recommendation For Deaf Children, Donna Jo Napoli, G. Mirus
Linguistics Faculty Works
There should be a focus on fun in shared reading activities with preschoolers in order to prepare them for later literacy, particularly those at risk of a poor foundation in a first language (L1), including deaf children (here “deaf” covers hard of hearing, as well). We look at how shared reading activities (SRAs) develop pre-literacy skills and describe bilingual-bimodal ebooks aimed purely at producing enjoyment, so families will engage in SRAs frequently.
What Medical Education Can Do To Ensure Robust Language Development In Deaf Children, T. Humphries, P. Kushalnagar, G. Mathur, Donna Jo Napoli, C. Padden, R. Pollard, C. Rathmann, S. Smith
What Medical Education Can Do To Ensure Robust Language Development In Deaf Children, T. Humphries, P. Kushalnagar, G. Mathur, Donna Jo Napoli, C. Padden, R. Pollard, C. Rathmann, S. Smith
Linguistics Faculty Works
The typical medical education curriculum does not address language development for deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children. However, this issue is medical because of the frequency with which DHH children as a population face health complications due to linguistic deprivation. The critical period for language development is early; if a child does not acquire an intact language before age five, the child is unlikely to ever have native-like use of any language. Such linguistic deprivation carries risks of cognitive delay and psycho-social health difficulties. Spoken language is inaccessible for many DHH children despite assistive-technology developments. But sign languages, because they are …
L2 Learners' Sensitivity To Semantic And Morphophonological Information On Swahili Nouns, P. Spinner, Jamie A. Thomas
L2 Learners' Sensitivity To Semantic And Morphophonological Information On Swahili Nouns, P. Spinner, Jamie A. Thomas
Linguistics Faculty Works
Previous research demonstrates that L2 learners are sensitive to morphophonological and semantic information regarding grammatical gender in European languages (e.g., Spinner & Juffs, 2008). In this study we examine the use of morphophonological and semantic information by two groups of English-speaking learners acquiring Swahili gender (noun class). The results of an oral agreement-marking task, a written gender assignment task, and interviews indicate that learners are sensitive to morphophonological information regarding gender in Swahili. The findings for semantic information are more complex; learners appear to be sensitive to animacy but not to other “minor” semantic information such as tree or active …
On The Linguistic Effects Of Articulatory Ease, With A Focus On Sign Languages, Donna Jo Napoli, N. Sanders, R. Wright
On The Linguistic Effects Of Articulatory Ease, With A Focus On Sign Languages, Donna Jo Napoli, N. Sanders, R. Wright
Linguistics Faculty Works
Spoken language has a well-known drive for ease of articulation, which Kirchner (1998, 2004) analyzes as reduction of the total magnitude of all biomechanical forces involved. We extend Kirchner's insights from vocal articulation to manual articulation, with a focus on joint usage, and we discuss ways that articulatory ease might be realized in sign languages. In particular, moving more joints and/or joints more proximal to the torso results in greater mass being moved, and thus more articulatory force being expended, than moving fewer joints or moving more distal joints. We predict that in casual conversation, where articulatory ease is prized, …
Ensuring Language Acquisition For Deaf Children: What Linguists Can Do, T. Humphries, P. Kushalnagar, G. Mathur, Donna Jo Napoli, C. Padden, C. Rathmann
Ensuring Language Acquisition For Deaf Children: What Linguists Can Do, T. Humphries, P. Kushalnagar, G. Mathur, Donna Jo Napoli, C. Padden, C. Rathmann
Linguistics Faculty Works
Parents of small deaf children need guidance on constructing home and school environments that affect normal language acquisition. They often turn to physicians and spiritual leaders and, increasingly, the internet. These sources can be underinformed about crucial issues, such as matters of brain plasticity connected to the risk of linguistic deprivation, and delay or disruption in the development of cognitive skills interwoven with linguistic ability. We have formed a team of specialists in education, linguistics, pediatric medicine, and psychology, and at times specialists in theology and in law have joined our group. We argue that deaf children should be taught …
Order Of The Major Constituents In Sign Languages: Implications For All Language, Donna Jo Napoli, R. Sutton-Spence
Order Of The Major Constituents In Sign Languages: Implications For All Language, Donna Jo Napoli, R. Sutton-Spence
Linguistics Faculty Works
A survey of reports of sign order from 42 sign languages leads to a handful of generalizations. Two accounts emerge, one amodal and the other modal. We argue that universal pressures are at work with respect to some generalizations, but that pressure from the visual modality is at work with respect to others. Together, these pressures conspire to make all sign languages order their major constituents SOV or SVO. This study leads us to the conclusion that the order of S with regard to verb phrase (VP) may be driven by sensorimotor system concerns that feed universal grammar.
Linguistic And Audio-Video Collections In Ethnobiology, K. David Harrison, Karim Sariahmed , '13
Linguistic And Audio-Video Collections In Ethnobiology, K. David Harrison, Karim Sariahmed , '13
Linguistics Faculty Works
No abstract provided.
The Right To Language, T. Humphries, R. Kushalnagar, G. Mathur, Donna Jo Napoli, C. Padden, C. Rathmann, S. Smith
The Right To Language, T. Humphries, R. Kushalnagar, G. Mathur, Donna Jo Napoli, C. Padden, C. Rathmann, S. Smith
Linguistics Faculty Works
We argue for the existence of a state constitutional legal right to language. Our purpose here is to develop a legal framework for protecting the civil rights of the deaf child, with the ultimate goal of calling for legislation that requires all levels of government to fund programs for deaf children and their families to learn a fully accessible language: a sign language.
How Much Can Classifiers Be Analogous To Their Referents?, R. Sutton-Spence, Donna Jo Napoli
How Much Can Classifiers Be Analogous To Their Referents?, R. Sutton-Spence, Donna Jo Napoli
Linguistics Faculty Works
Sign Language poetry is especially valued for its presentation of strong visual images. Here, we explore the highly visual signs that British Sign Language and American Sign Language poets create as part of the 'classifier system' of their languages. Signed languages, as they create visually-motivated messages, utilise categoricity (more traditionally considered 'language') and analogy (more traditionally considered extra-linguistic and the domain of 'gesture'). Classifiers in sign languages arguably show both these characteristics (Oviedo, 2004). In our discussion of sign language poetry, we see that poets take elements that are widely understood to be highly visual, closely representing their referents, and …
Deaf Jokes And Sign Language Humor, R. Sutton-Spence, Donna Jo Napoli
Deaf Jokes And Sign Language Humor, R. Sutton-Spence, Donna Jo Napoli
Linguistics Faculty Works
This paper describes the humor of Deaf communities, arguing that the humor is related primarily to the dominant visual experience of Deaf people, but also influenced by their knowledge of humor traditions in the hearing society at large. Sign language humor in America and Britain may be seen in the creation of new visual signs, the witty reanalysis of existing signs and in bilingual games in which English is manipulated within sign languages. The content of Deaf humor supports the in-group of community members who embrace their signing collective Deaf identity and denigrates out-group people, including deaf people who do …
Cochlear Implants And The Right To Language: Ethical Considerations, The Ideal Situation, And Practical Measures Toward Reaching The Ideal, T. Humphries, P. Kushalnagar, G. Mathur, Donna Jo Napoli, C. Padden, C. Rathmann, S. Smith
Cochlear Implants And The Right To Language: Ethical Considerations, The Ideal Situation, And Practical Measures Toward Reaching The Ideal, T. Humphries, P. Kushalnagar, G. Mathur, Donna Jo Napoli, C. Padden, C. Rathmann, S. Smith
Linguistics Faculty Works
No abstract provided.
Language Acquisition For Deaf Children: Reducing The Harms Of Zero Tolerance To The Use Of Alternative Approaches, T. Humphries, P. Kushalnagar, G. Mathur, Donna Jo Napoli, C. Padden, C. Rathmann, S. R. Smith
Language Acquisition For Deaf Children: Reducing The Harms Of Zero Tolerance To The Use Of Alternative Approaches, T. Humphries, P. Kushalnagar, G. Mathur, Donna Jo Napoli, C. Padden, C. Rathmann, S. R. Smith
Linguistics Faculty Works
Children acquire language without instruction as long as they are regularly and meaningfully engaged with an accessible human language. Today, 80% of children born deaf in the developed world are implanted with cochlear devices that allow some of them access to sound in their early years, which helps them to develop speech. However, because of brain plasticity changes during early childhood, children who have not acquired a first language in the early years might never be completely fluent in any language. If they miss this critical period for exposure to a natural language, their subsequent development of the cognitive activities …
Review Of "Sign Languages" Edited By D. Brentari, Donna Jo Napoli
Review Of "Sign Languages" Edited By D. Brentari, Donna Jo Napoli
Linguistics Faculty Works
No abstract provided.
Sign Language Humor, Human Singularities, And The Origins Of Language, Donna Jo Napoli, R. Sutton-Spence
Sign Language Humor, Human Singularities, And The Origins Of Language, Donna Jo Napoli, R. Sutton-Spence
Linguistics Faculty Works
No abstract provided.
Deaf Around The World: The Impact Of Language, G. Mathur, Donna Jo Napoli
Deaf Around The World: The Impact Of Language, G. Mathur, Donna Jo Napoli
Linguistics Faculty Works
No abstract provided.
Limitations On Simultaneity In Sign Language, Donna Jo Napoli, R. Sutton-Spence
Limitations On Simultaneity In Sign Language, Donna Jo Napoli, R. Sutton-Spence
Linguistics Faculty Works
When we converse, information is often conveyed in multiple ways. For those using spoken language, we have, besides the vocal tract, nonverbal articulators as well, including eye gaze (Hanna & Brennan 2007), gesture (Kendon 2004), facial expression (Busso & Narayanan 2007), lip pointing (Sherzer 1983), and puffed cheeks (Sherzer 1993). Likewise, for those using a sign language, we have, besides the hands, nonmanual articulators as well, including facial expressions, eye gaze, mouth, and body posture (Baker & Padden 1978). In this short report we investigate how much information can be simultaneously expressed in sign language (by counting ‘propositions’) and conclude …
Infants And Children With Hearing Loss Need Early Language Access, P. Kushalnagar, G. Mathur, C. J. Moreland, Donna Jo Napoli, W. Osterling, C. Padden, C. Rathmann
Infants And Children With Hearing Loss Need Early Language Access, P. Kushalnagar, G. Mathur, C. J. Moreland, Donna Jo Napoli, W. Osterling, C. Padden, C. Rathmann
Linguistics Faculty Works
Around 96 percent of children with hearing loss are born to parents with intact hearing, who may initially know little about deafness or sign language. Therefore, such parents will need information and support in making decisions about the medical, linguistic, and educational management of their child. Some of these decisions are time-sensitive and irreversible and come at a moment of emotional turmoil and vulnerability (when some parents grieve the loss of a normally hearing child). Clinical research indicates that a deaf child's poor communication skills can be made worse by increased level of parental depression. Given this, the importance of …
Language Matters: A Guide To Everyday Questions About Language, Donna Jo Napoli, V. Lee-Schoenfeld
Language Matters: A Guide To Everyday Questions About Language, Donna Jo Napoli, V. Lee-Schoenfeld
Linguistics Faculty Works
Is Ebonics really a dialect or simply bad English? Do women and men speak differently? Will computers ever really learn human language? Does offensive language harm children? These are only a few of the issues surrounding language that crop up every day. Most of us have very definite opinions on these questions one way or another. Yet as linguists Donna Jo Napoli and Vera Lee-Schoenfeld point out in this short and thoroughly readable volume, many of our most deeply held ideas about the nature of language and its role in our lives are either misconceived or influenced by myths and …
Anthropomorphism In Sign Languages: A Look At Poetry And Storytelling With A Focus On British Sign Language, R. Sutton-Spence, Donna Jo Napoli
Anthropomorphism In Sign Languages: A Look At Poetry And Storytelling With A Focus On British Sign Language, R. Sutton-Spence, Donna Jo Napoli
Linguistics Faculty Works
The work presented here considers some linguistic methods used in sign anthropomorphism. We find a cline of signed anthropomorphism that depends on a number of factors, including the skills and intention of the signer, the animacy of the entities represented, the form of their bodies, and the form of vocabulary signs referring to those entities. We consider four main factors that allow signers to anthropomorphize the whole range of entities (from animate to inanimate): the linguistic base that allows such play, the ability of the nonmanuals to anthropomorphize even when the manual articulators are signing in an ordinary way, the …