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Not a matter of a degree: American Sign Language (ASL) signing children and acquisition of gradability

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Gabriel Martinez VeraORCiD

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Abstract

This paper examines the emergence of gradability (adjectives, comparison strategies) in two types of child corpora (spontaneous production), in which American Sign Language (ASL) acquiring children interact with 2–3 adult caregivers each: a monolingual corpus (Deaf-of-Deaf, N = 4) and a bimodal bilingual corpus (Coda/Heritage Language User, N = 3). Assuming a parametric approach to ASL gradable expressions, we predict the presence of informative structures in adult production, which constitutes the syntactic information that children take as evidence. Simultaneous search was conducted in ASL and English. A variety of predicates were tagged, differing in iconic potential, boundedness, and semantic type. The data support the claims that (i) ASL is best analyzed as a degreeless language, (ii) there is a lack of effect of the dominant language (English) on the Heritage Language (ASL), and (iii) the Codas/Heritage Language Users’ production patterns consistently with Deaf-of-Deaf/monolinguals’ production.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Koulidobrova E, Martínez Vera G

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Language Acquisition

Year: 2026

Volume: 33

Issue: 1

Pages: 104-133

Online publication date: 11/02/2025

Acceptance date: 20/12/2024

Date deposited: 12/02/2025

ISSN (print): 1048-9223

ISSN (electronic): 1532-7817

Publisher: Routledge

URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/10489223.2024.2446999

DOI: 10.1080/10489223.2024.2446999

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