Comparative Analysis: Sign and Spoken Languages

A comparative analysis of sign and spoken languages unveils a fascinating interplay of similarities and differences, shedding light on the fundamental nature of human communication. While the modality of transmission distinguishes sign languages from their spoken counterparts, both systems exhibit remarkable structural parallels that reflect underlying cognitive universals. Sign languages, such as American Sign Language (ASL) or British Sign Language (BSL), showcase syntactic structures comparable to those found in spoken languages, including subject-verb-object order and hierarchical organization (Sandler and Lillo-Martin 2001). For instance, ASL employs spatial grammar and facial expressions to convey grammatical relationships, mirroring the syntactic conventions observed in spoken languages (Lucas and Valli 1992).

Moreover, sign languages demonstrate morphological processes akin to those in spoken languages, albeit with unique modal manifestations. Affixation, compounding, and derivation are prevalent in sign languages, shaping the formation and modification of signs to convey nuanced meanings (Emmorey 2002). The systematicity of morphological operations in sign languages underscores the presence of universal principles governing language structure, transcending modality-specific constraints. Furthermore, studies of language acquisition in deaf children exposed to sign languages provide compelling evidence for the existence of innate linguistic knowledge guiding the development of grammatical structures (Newport and Meier…