Documenting a Reduction in Signing Space in Nicaraguan Sign Language Using Depth and Motion Capture

In this paper, we use motion tracking technology to document the birth of a brand new language: Nicaraguan Sign Language. Languages are dynamic entities that undergo change and growth through use, transmission, and learning, but the earliest stages of this process are generally difficult to observe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cognitive science 2023-04, Vol.47 (4), p.e13277-n/a
Main Authors: Flaherty, Molly, Sato, Asha, Kirby, Simon
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Humans
Language
Language emergence
Language evolution
Learning
Motion Capture
Motion tracking
Nicaragua
Nicaraguan Sign Language
Sign Language
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Summary:In this paper, we use motion tracking technology to document the birth of a brand new language: Nicaraguan Sign Language. Languages are dynamic entities that undergo change and growth through use, transmission, and learning, but the earliest stages of this process are generally difficult to observe as most languages have been used and passed down for many generations. Here, we observe a rare case of language emergence: the earliest stages of the new sign language in Nicaragua. By comparing the signing of the oldest and youngest signers of Nicaraguan Sign Language, we can track how the language itself is changing. Using motion tracking technology, we document a decrease in the size of articulatory space of Nicaraguan Sign Language signers over time. The reduction in articulatory space in Nicaraguan Sign appears to be the joint product of several decades of use and repeated transmission of this new language.
ISSN:0364-0213
1551-6709
DOI:10.1111/cogs.13277