Starting Sign Language Research from Scratch

Rachel Mayberry, a linguistics professor and director of the MultiModal Language Development Lab at the University of CA San Diego, reflects on her early experiences in sign language research. She describes the physical labor involved in conducting research before the digital age, such as searching...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sign language studies 2024-01, Vol.24 (2), p.263-274
Main Author: Mayberry, Rachel I
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
American Sign Language
Comprehension
Course Descriptions
Data Analysis
Deafness
Iconicity
Language acquisition
Manual Communication
Middle Schools
Recording equipment
Sign language
Speech therapy
Students
Syntax
Teachers
Undergraduate Students
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Description
Summary:Rachel Mayberry, a linguistics professor and director of the MultiModal Language Development Lab at the University of CA San Diego, reflects on her early experiences in sign language research. She describes the physical labor involved in conducting research before the digital age, such as searching for books and journals in the library and using reel-to-reel and cassette recorders for videotaping. Mayberry shares her first sign language experiment, comparing concreteness ratings for English words with iconicity ratings for their ASL translations. She also discusses the teachers and scholars who supported her along the way, including Richard Silverman, who encouraged her to pursue sign language research. Mayberry highlights the importance of sign language and the challenges faced by deaf individuals in communication. She concludes by discussing her doctoral research on ASL comprehension and the critical period for language acquisition.
ISSN:0302-1475
1533-6263
1533-6263
DOI:10.1353/sls.2024.a920106