ERIC Number: EJ1427576
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 34
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0302-1475
EISSN: EISSN-1533-6263
Available Date: N/A
Interactional Infrastructure across Modalities: A Comparison of Repair Initiators and Continuers in British Sign Language and British English
Hannah Lutzenberger; Lierin de Wael; Rehana Omardeen; Mark Dingemanse
Sign Language Studies, v24 n3 p548-581 2024
Minimal expressions are at the heart of interaction: Interjections like "Huh?" and "Mhm" keep conversations flowing by establishing and reinforcing intersubjectivity among interlocutors. Crosslinguistic research has identified that similar interactional pressures can yield structurally similar words (e.g., to initiate repair across languages). While crosslinguistic comparisons that include signed languages remain uncommon, recent work has revealed similarities in discourse management strategies among signers and speakers that share much of their cultural background. This study contributes a crossmodal comparison of repair initiators and continuers in speakers of English and signers of British Sign Language (BSL). We combine qualitative and quantitative analyses of data from sixteen English speakers and sixteen BSL signers, resulting in the following: First, the interactional infrastructure drawn upon by speakers and signers overwhelmingly relies on behaviors of the head, face, and body; these are used alone or sometimes in combination with verbal elements (i.e., spoken words or manual signs), while verbal strategies alone are rare. Second, discourse management strategies are remarkably similar in form across the two languages: A held eye gaze or "freeze-look" is the predominant repair initiator and head nodding the main continuer. These results suggest a modality-agnostic preference for visual strategies that do not occupy the primary articulators, one that we propose is founded in recipiency; people maintain the flow of communication following principles of minimal effort and minimal interruption.
Descriptors: Learning Modalities, Sign Language, English, Expressive Language, Language Usage, Interaction, Nonverbal Communication, Communication Research, Cues, Visual Aids, Verbal Communication, Correlation, Role Theory, Foreign Countries, Deafness
Gallaudet University Press. 800 Florida Avenue NE, Denison House, Washington, DC 20002-3695. Tel: 202-651-5488; Fax: 202-651-5489; Web site: https://gupress.gallaudet.edu/Journals/Sign-Language-Studies
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A