Sign Language
Our lab studies the structure of sign languages. What allows human beings to use sign languages? Why do signed languages share some important features with spoken languages? And why do people develop sign languages spontaneously, even if they have no access to sign language in their environment?
Research at the the Language & Mind Lab addresses these questions. In our experiments, people are presented with videos of simple signs, either signs that exist as words in ASL, or new signs, and we ask them to make quick, simple judgments about those displays (e.g., does the video include one unit or two?). For a demo of some of our recent research, please visit: The double identity of doubling and sign language demos.
Signers Needed!
We are looking for Deaf native users of American Sign Language to take part in an experiment on the perception of language. The experiments take about 45 minutes, and we pay participants for their participation. If interested, please contact Qathy Andan.