By
Samuel
J.
Supalla
Citation
Ortega, G., & Morgan, G. (2015). Input processing at first exposure to a sign language. Second Language
Research, 31(4), 443-463.
Abstract
There is growing interest in learners’ cognitive capacities to process a second language (L2) at first
exposure to the target language. Evidence suggests that L2 learners are capable of processing novel words by
exploiting phonological information from their first language (L1). Hearing adult learners of a sign language,
however, cannot fall back on their L1 to process novel signs because the modality differences between speech
(aural–oral) and sign (visual-manual) do not allow for direct cross-linguistic influence. Sign language learners
might use alternative strategies to process input expressed in the manual channel. Learners may rely on
iconicity, the direct relationship between a sign and its referent. Evidence up to now has shown that iconicity
facilitates learning in non-signers, but it is unclear whether it also facilitates sign production. In order to fill
this gap, the present study investigated how iconicity influenced articulation of the phonological components
of signs. In Study 1, hearing non-signers viewed a set of iconic and arbitrary signs along with their English
translations and repeated the signs as accurately as possible immediat ely after. The results show that
participants imitated iconic signs significantly less accurately than arbitrary signs. In Study 2, a second group
of hearing non-signers imitated the same set of signs but without the accompanying English translations. The
same lower accuracy for iconic signs was observed. We argue that learners rely on iconicity to process
manual input because it brings familiarity to the target (sign) language. However, this reliance comes at a cost
as it leads to a more superficial processing of the signs’ full phonetic form. The present findings add to our
understanding of learners’ cognitive capacities at first exposure to a signed L2, and raises new theoretical
questions in the field of second language acquisition.
(10 ½ minutes long)
The Power of ASL
11
Fall 2016 – Issue 3