Abstract:A heritage language is defined as a minority language that differs from the dominant language used in a particular community. Codas (children of Deaf adults) who sign but may be dominant in the spoken language of their community present an interesting case due to the added difference of a spoken/signed modality in their linguistic repertoire. The relatively new field of research on heritage sign languages builds on our knowledge of the phenomena at play when both the heritage language (HL) and the community language use a spoken modality (e.g., varying degrees of proficiency in the HL, interference by the community language on the HL). It also addresses issues specific to bilinguals who balance their use of signed and spoken language by blending, for example (i.e., they simultaneously sign and speak rather than code-switch). One crucial aspect of the study of heritage language is the assessment of its production. This can be carried out by using cloze tests or eliciting narratives (using picture books or silent video clips as prompts) and then determining the rate of speech or the number of errors. Methods are also being developed to assess comprehension and perception in signed languages. The study of heritage sign languages promises to provide new insights into strong tendencies already established in heritage spoken languages (e.g., speakers' difficulty with optionality and ambiguity; speakers' command of verbs in their heritage language, which exceeds their grasp of nouns).

中文翻译：

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传统语言语境中的手语：语言研究的新方向

摘要：传统语言被定义为与特定社区使用的主导语言不同的少数民族语言。会手语但可能在社区口语中占主导地位的 Codas（聋人成人的孩子）提出了一个有趣的案例，因为他们的语言库中口语/手语模式的额外差异。相对较新的遗产手语研究领域建立在我们对遗产语言 (HL) 和社区语言都使用口语形式（例如，HL 的熟练程度不同，社区的干扰HL 上的语言）。它还解决了双语者特有的问题，例如，他们通过混合来平衡手语和口语的使用（即，他们同时手语和说话，而不是代码转换）。遗产语言研究的一个重要方面是对其产生的评估。这可以通过使用完形填空测试或引出叙述（使用图画书或无声视频片段作为提示）然后确定语速或错误数量来进行。还正在开发方法来评估手语的理解和感知。对传统手语的研究有望为传统口语中已经建立的强大趋势提供新的见解（例如，说话者在可选性和歧义方面的困难；说话者在其遗产语言中对动词的掌握程度超出了他们对名词的掌握）。这可以通过使用完形填空测试或引出叙述（使用图画书或无声视频片段作为提示）然后确定语速或错误数量来进行。还正在开发方法来评估手语的理解和感知。对传统手语的研究有望为传统口语中已经建立的强大趋势提供新的见解（例如，说话者在可选性和歧义方面的困难；说话者在其遗产语言中对动词的掌握程度超出了他们对名词的掌握）。这可以通过使用完形填空测试或引出叙述（使用图画书或无声视频片段作为提示）然后确定语速或错误数量来进行。还正在开发方法来评估手语的理解和感知。对传统手语的研究有望为传统口语中已经建立的强大趋势提供新的见解（例如，说话者在可选性和歧义方面的困难；说话者在其遗产语言中对动词的掌握程度超出了他们对名词的掌握）。