Language & Cognition seminar - Dr Yasamin Motamedi

Evolving language in the lab: evidence from the manual modality

Previous research studying the evolution of language has made wide use of artificial language learning experiments, where learners are taught artificial languages in laboratory settings and tested to see what they have learnt. These paradigms allow us to test hypotheses about specific structures and learning contexts that cannot be isolated for study in natural languages. In this talk, I discuss the extension of artificial language learning into the manual modality, presenting two studies in which participants learn and use novel gestural communication systems in different learning contexts. I will demonstrate how artificial language learning in the manual modality can provide further insight into language learning and evolution across both spoken and signed modalities, allowing us to test whether processes are modality-general or modality-specific, and provide experimental evidence as a companion to data from natural languages.