LING 1010 Lecture Notes - Lecture 35: Cochlear Implant, Auditory Cortex, Sign Language
Morphology in ASL
• Like location of stress in spoken languages, the number of taps in a sign language allows
for differentiation between noun/verb pairs: two taps for a noun, one for a verb
• ASL uses simultaneous articulation of primary signs and second motions to add
information, like whether something ocurred in the past
o Ex: repeated circular motion means something is ongoing or continuous
Syntax in ASL
• In spoken English, word order is based on grammatical roles. In ASL, word order is
influenced by discourse roles
o Topic comment order: the topic being discussed comes first, even if it is not the
subject or object of the verb
o Non-manual marking: posture of body, facial expressions, gestures with mouth or
eyebrows. This helps keep track of which constituent in the sentence is the topic
• When the topic is signed, the signer's head is tilted back with the eyebrows
raised slightly. Topic signs are head slightly longer than other signs
ASL typically uses pointing for pronouns. If they are plural, pointed finger is swiped
Similarly, ASL uses space to indicate the direction of some verbs or events
Sign language and the Critical Period
• Sign languages also have critical periods
• Highlights the importance of exposing deaf children to sign language as early as possible
o 95% of parents of deaf children are hearing, and might have a harder time realizing
their child is deaf
o If hearing parents don't know that sign languages are full human languages, they
might not find a way to expose their children to language, which would be
detrimental to the child's ability to learn the language
Cochlear implants: medical devices that can restore hearing in some deaf or hard of hearing
people
• Cochlea: snail shaped organ that converts sound waves into electrical impulses that travel
along the auditory nerve to the auditory cortex
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LING 1010 Full Course Notes
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Document Summary
In spoken english, word order is based on grammatical roles. This helps keep track of which constituent in the sentence is the topic: when the topic is signed, the signer"s head is tilted back with the eyebrows raised slightly. Topic signs are head slightly longer than other signs. If they are plural, pointed finger is swiped. Similarly, asl uses space to indicate the direction of some verbs or events. If hearing parents don"t know that sign languages are full human languages, they might not find a way to expose their children to language, which would be detrimental to the child"s ability to learn the language. The auditory nerve must be intact, as the implant connects to it. Implants do not yet serve as a complete replacement to hearing. The quality of hearing is not perfect, which can also lead to difficulties with language acquisition: they are also very expensive.
