Abstract

The study of sign languages provides a powerful tool for investigating the neurobiology of human language. Signed languages differ dramatically from spoken languages with respect to linguistic articulators and perceptual systems required for comprehension. I explore whether key brain areas identified for processing spoken language are also critical for the comprehension and production of sign languages. In addition, my work investigates domains where language interfaces with other cognitive systems, specifically motion processing, spatial cognition, and action generation. The study of sign languages provides a unique window into the factors that do and do not influence the neural organization for language. As we begin to uncover the new biology of language, moving beyond the classic brain regions of Broca and Wernicke, investigations of sign language will help characterize and identify the neural architecture that supports the human language faculty.

Karen Emmorey is a Professor of Speech Language at San Diego State University