How are sign languages learned as second languages?

This project intend to hold a series of 5 short (2-2.5 hours) online workshops involving members of the UCL research team and the Stockholm research team, with an anticipated 10-12 regular attendees.

Workshop 1 will introducethe respective projects, including methods and findings to date. During that meeting, we will identify 3 themes that the research projects have in common and that we can explore in more detail in workshops 2-4. Though these themes cannot be prescribed as such, they might include particular linguistic structures (e.g. vocabulary; grammatical constructions), ‘hot topics’ in current psycholinguistic research (e.g., iconicity – i.e. the extent to which a linguistic form resembles its meaning, and the mechanisms by which this might support sign learning) and/or sign language teaching (e.g. what existing student knowledge can teachers draw upon when teaching?).

In the final workshop we will discuss the potential for future studies (including collaborative work), and how to translate our research findings for teachers and students of sign languages. We will also discuss the content and creation of a video podcast (aimed at researchers and a teachers/students of sign languages) that will form the output for this particular project. We hope to produce a video podcast from these online workshops by June 2021.

Area

Psychology & Language

UCL leads

• Professor Chloe Marshall, IOE - Psychology & Human Development