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Variation in the Input pp 157–177Cite as

Using Early ASL Word Order to Shed Light on Word Order Variability in Sign Language

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Part of the book series: Studies in Theoretical Psycholinguistics ((SITP,volume 39))

Abstract

This study examines the early multi-sign utterances of four deaf children between the ages of 20 and 30 months acquiring American Sign Language (ASL) as their first language from deaf, signing parents. Results show that during this early stage, children are very inconsistent in their adherence to canonical VO word order, producing a high proportion of utterances with noncanonical OV order. Although such a pattern could indicate failure to set the Head Parameter, this chapter argues the contrary: that these children have not only set the Head Parameter, they have already begun to employ word order variation licensed by specific types of ASL verbal morphology. In addition to this early development of morpho-syntactically motivated OV, one of the children in this study also produces what appears to be early topicalisation structures, exhibiting a developing awareness that noncanonical OV word order has pragmatic as well a syntactic sources in ASL.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Because ASL allows null subjects, sentences such as (2a) may surface with OV word order, as long as PRO-1 is understood in the discourse.

  2. 2.

    In all of the proposals cited here, the raising verb leaves behind a copy of itself that need not be deleted, giving rise to the so-called verb sandwich construction, (S)VOV[inflection].

  3. 3.

    Schick (2002) refers to themes and agents rather than subjects and objects, to avoid claiming that such syntactic notions are acquired by children at this age.

  4. 4.

    Index points (IX) clearly directed towards the object (i.e. object pronouns) were counted as overt objects. As far as I can tell, this practice is consistent with that employed by both Hoffmeister (1978) and Schick (2002).

  5. 5.

    It should be noted that many of these OV examples could be categorized as involving depiction (Liddell 2003, Dudis 2004). Although I do not have the means to analyze the effects of depiction on word order here, it is a line of investigation worth pursuing as cognitive linguistic models of sign language develop and extend into the field of acquisition.

  6. 6.

    Unfortunately, I currently have no good explanation for this dip, but the reader is referred to Chen Pichler (2001) for further details and discussion.

  7. 7.

    However, elsewhere in Liddell (1980), he does specify brow raise as a component of the ASL topic nonmanual.

  8. 8.

    ABY does produce rapid head nods, as in example (13), but these nods occur on signs that come after the prosodic break.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by NIH grant #NIDCD DC-00183 to Diane Lillo-Martin. Many thanks to her, and to our Deaf families and consultants, who make the study of their language possible! Thanks also to the many research assistants at the University of Connecticut and Gallaudet University for their invaluable help in filming and transcription. All errors in the present work are entirely my own.

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  1. Gallaudet University, Washington, DC, USA

    Deborah Chen Pichler

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  1. Deborah Chen Pichler
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Correspondence to Deborah Chen Pichler .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Advanced Study in, Theoretical Linguistics (CASTL), University of Tromsoe, Tromsoe, 9037, Norway

    Merete Anderssen

  2. Center for Advanced Study in, Theoretical Linguistics (CASTL), University of Tromsoe, Tromsoe, 9037, Norway

    Kristine Bentzen

  3. Center for Advanced Study in, Theoretical Linguistics (CASTL), University of Tromsoe, Tromsoe, 9037, Norway

    Marit Westergaard

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Pichler, D.C. (2011). Using Early ASL Word Order to Shed Light on Word Order Variability in Sign Language. In: Anderssen, M., Bentzen, K., Westergaard, M. (eds) Variation in the Input. Studies in Theoretical Psycholinguistics, vol 39. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9207-6_7

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