Describing spatial layouts as an L2M2 signed language learner
Lindsay Ferrara | NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Anna-Lena Nilsson | NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
This study explores the L2M2 acquisition of Norwegian Sign Language by hearing adults, with a focus on the production and use of
depicting signs. A group of students and their instructors were asked to respond to prompt questions about directions and
locations in Norwegian Sign Language, and their responses were then compared. An examination of the students’ depicting signs
shows that they struggled more with the phonological parameters orientation and movement, rather than with handshape. In addition,
they used fewer depicting signs than their instructors, and instead relied more on lexical signs. Finally, students were found to
struggle with the coordination of depicting signs within the signing space and in relation to their own bodies. It is hoped that
the findings from this study can be used to inform future research as well as curricula development and pedagogy.
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