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SSLA
(Schönström, 2021) - Coggle Diagram
SSLA
(Schönström, 2021)
Sign Language in Context
A common misconception is that sign language is universal; in fact, over 135 distinct sign languages exist globally.
Sign languages, like spoken languages, are natural, fully-fledged languages with distinct linguistic systems (e.g., phonology, morphology, syntax).
Unique Domain
Learners must acquire modality-specific skills, including handshape articulation, spatial organization, and simultaneous structures like mouth actions and depicting signs.
SSLA involves learning both a new language and a new modality, termed L2M2 learning (second language, second modality).
Iconicity
High iconicity can scaffold learning by linking gestures to meaningful signs but may also lead to overreliance on gestural forms.
Iconicity, the resemblance between a sign's form and its meaning, plays a significant role in sign acquisition.
Acquisition
Research indicates that parameters like handshape and movement are harder to acquire than location, with learners often making modality-specific errors (e.g.,"proximalisation").
Key challenges include mastering hand configurations, movements, and spatial positioning.
Parallelism: early first-language (L1) child development for signed and spoken languages, meaning, languages share similar linguistic milestones, regardless of modality
Empircal Findings
Acquisition Patterns
Studies show L2 signers tend to rely more on lexical signs and underuse depicting signs initially, but their production evolves toward native norms with increased exposure.
Gestural Influence
Gestures can serve as "manual cognates," aiding sign comprehension and production, but may also introduce systematic errors.
Learners often transfer gestural knowledge from their L1, influencing their sign phonology
and leading to non-target-like forms.
Corpus Research
The Swedish Sign Language L2 Corpus provides longitudinal data, showing that learners gradually develop proficiency in complex structures
like depicting signs and mouth actions.
Cross-Linguistic Influence
While transfer from spoken languages is limited in phonology, learners' gestural habits can influence their sign learning, particularly in iconic and spatial structures.
Challenges
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Limited naturalistic exposure to sign language,
as deaf communities are small and
interactions with native signers are rare.
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Opportunities
Future research on SSLA may contribute to better teaching practices and understanding of human language capacity
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Relevance to SLA
SSLA offers a unique perspective on language acquisition by exploring how learning across modalities affects linguistic, cognitive, and social processes. It challenges traditional SLA models to account for the role of gesture, iconicity, and spatial grammar.