In this study, we aim to disentangle pantomime from early signs in a newly-born sign language: Sao Tome and Principe Sign Language. Our results show that within 2 years of their first contact with one another, a community of 100 participants interacting everyday was able to build a shared language. The growth of linguistic systematicity, which included a decrease in use of pantomime, reduction of the amplitude of signs and an increase in articulation economy, showcases a learning, and social interaction process that constitutes a continuum and not a cut-off system. The human cognitive system is endowed with mechanisms for symbolization that allow the process of arbitrariness to unfold and the expansion of linguistic complexity. Our study helps to clarify the role of pantomime in a new sign language and how this role might be linked with language itself, showing implications for language evolution research.

在这项研究中，我们旨在将手势与新生手势语中的早期手势区分开：圣多美和普林西比手势语。我们的结果表明，在每天彼此互动的两年内，每天有100个参与者互动的社区能够建立一种共享的语言。语言系统性的增长，包括减少哑剧的使用，减少体征的幅度以及增加发音经济性，展现了一种学习和社交互动过程，构成了一个连续的过程，而不是一个截止系统。人类的认知系统具有符号化机制，可以使任意性过程得以展开并扩展语言的复杂性。