Disentangling Pantomime From Early Sign in a New Sign Language: Window Into Language Evolution Research

In this study, we aim to disentangle pantomime from early signs in a newly-born sign language: Sao Tome and Principe Sign Language. Our results show that within 2 years of their first contact with one another, a community of 100 participants interacting everyday was able to build a shared language....

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Published inFrontiers in psychology Vol. 12; p. 640057
Main Authors Mineiro, Ana, Báez-Montero, Inmaculada Concepción, Moita, Mara, Galhano-Rodrigues, Isabel, Castro-Caldas, Alexandre
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 14.04.2021
Subjects
early signs
emergent sign language
human communication
language evolution
pantomime
Psychology
early signs
language evolution
human communication
emergent sign language
pantomime
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Summary:In this study, we aim to disentangle pantomime from early signs in a newly-born sign language: Sao Tome and Principe Sign Language. Our results show that within 2 years of their first contact with one another, a community of 100 participants interacting everyday was able to build a shared language. The growth of linguistic systematicity, which included a decrease in use of pantomime, reduction of the amplitude of signs and an increase in articulation economy, showcases a learning, and social interaction process that constitutes a continuum and not a cut-off system. The human cognitive system is endowed with mechanisms for symbolization that allow the process of arbitrariness to unfold and the expansion of linguistic complexity. Our study helps to clarify the role of pantomime in a new sign language and how this role might be linked with language itself, showing implications for language evolution research.
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Edited by: Francesca Peressotti, University of Padua, Italy
Reviewed by: Mieke Van Herreweghe, Ghent University, Belgium; Bencie Woll, University College London, United Kingdom
This article was submitted to Language Sciences, a section of the journal Frontiers in Psychology
ISSN:1664-1078
1664-1078
DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.640057