@inproceedings{322d3776cbf946469f3fbf4db1663824,
title = "Type of iconicity matters: bias for action-based signs in sign language acquisition",
abstract = "Early studies investigating sign language acquisition claimed that signs whose structures are motivated by the form of their referent (iconic) are not favoured in language development. However, recent work has shown that the first signs in deaf children{\textquoteright}s lexicon are iconic. In this paper we go a step further and ask whether different types of iconicity modulate learning sign-referent links. Results from a picture description task indicate that children and adults used signs with two possible variants differentially. While children signing to adults favoured variants that map onto actions associated with a referent (action signs), adults signing to another adult produced variants that map onto objects{\textquoteright} perceptual features (perceptual signs). Parents interacting with children used more action variants than signers in adult-adult interactions. These results are in line with claims that language development is tightly linked to motor experience and that iconicity can be a communicative strategy in parental input.",
keywords = "Sign Language, Language Development, Iconicity in language, acquisition, iconicity, action, perception, sound-symbolism",
author = "Gerardo Ortega and Beyza Sumer and Asli Ozyurek",
year = "2014",
language = "English",
series = "Cognitive Science Society. Annual Conference. Proceedings ",
publisher = "Cognitive Science Society",
pages = "1114--1119",
editor = "P. Bello and M. Guarini and M. McShane and B. Scassellati",
booktitle = "Proceedings of the 36th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society (CogSci 2014)",
address = "United States",
note = "36th Annual Cognitive Science Conference, COGSCI 2014 ; Conference date: 23-07-2014 Through 26-07-2014",
}