Use and acquisition of mouth actions in L2 sign language learners
Temas
Detalles
This article deals with the acquisition of a sign language (SL) as a second language (L2). Studies of SL as an L2 are relatively rare, despite the long tradition of teaching L2 learners of SL in some countries. In fact, very little is known about what learning a new language in a new modality is all about. Research on SLs as L2s opens up the opportunity to contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms behind learning a new language through a new modality, i.e., the gestural-visual modality as opposed to the vocal-aural modality. For example, sign languages have been described as having a form of simultaneity in production lacking in spoken languages. Linguistically, this can be manifested through the simultaneous production of mouth actions (i.e., mouth movements) and manual components (hands). This simultaneous production is thus something that L2 learners of sign language need to acquire.