Scans Show The Brain Treats Sign Language Like Speech

[Miss-Delectable]

Scans Show The Brain Treats Sign Language Like Speech | KPBS.org

A San Diego State University linguist says spoken language and sign language use the brain in very much the same way.

Professor Karen Emmorey used PET scans to see how the brains of deaf people functioned during the use of sign language. She found that the "speech production" part of the brain was as active in people signing as in people speaking. She said this was true even when deaf people used signs that appeared to be pantomime, like the sign for the verb "drink."

"So even signs may look like panomimes, those signs are treated by the brain just the same as signs that don't have the pantomimic quality," said Emmorey.

Tests showed that a different part of the brain was activated by gestures or by pantomime in both the deaf and the hearing. Emmorey said the simple message of her research is that sign language is a language, not a series of gestures. She presented her research at the conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science at the San Diego Convention Center.

 

[Tousi]

Thanks, this will fit right in some of this kind of discussion here on another thread.

 

[shel90]

Thanks, this will fit right in some of this kind of discussion here on another thread.

Oh yea!

 

[CJB]

I thought this was pretty obvious ever since William Stokoe.

 

[Glenn]

That conclusion is hardly earth-shattering. What did they expect to find? It's communicating via a language.

 

[Buffalo]

Good! That is what I suspect. I hope it will bury any arguments from pro-oralists for good.

 

[faire_jour]

I don't think anyone doubted this.

 

[Bottesini]

I did. I thought it was a completely separate area.

 

[faire_jour]

I did. I thought it was a completely separate area.

As I understand it, the brain processes the language in the same way, but the neural pathways are different. You have visual and auditory pathways. Your brain is constantly "pruning" pathways that aren't being used. If someone does not hear language through auditory channels and use those pathways, they will atrophy and the brain will stop using them. And if given w visual language, the visual pathways will get stronger. (This is why a hearing person learning ASL gets tired and headaches, they are strengthing pathways that they have only used a tiny bit.)

 

[Lighthouse77]

But the question is, does it make us less intelligent like some people believe?? Or ASL is inferior to spoken?

personally, I think learning to do anything gives us headaches.

My aunt had brain damages due to a car accident, somewhat paralyze on her left side, and relearning how to use her left arm through therapy was a headache for her.

 

[Glenn]

But the question is, does it make us less intelligent like some people believe?? Or ASL is inferior to spoken?

personally, I think learning to do anything gives us headaches.

My aunt had brain damages due to a car accident, somewhat paralyze on her left side, and relearning how to use her left arm through therapy was a headache for her.

Who are "some people"?

I don't believe that at all.

 

[faire_jour]

But the question is, does it make us less intelligent like some people believe?? Or ASL is inferior to spoken?

personally, I think learning to do anything gives us headaches.

My aunt had brain damages due to a car accident, somewhat paralyze on her left side, and relearning how to use her left arm through therapy was a headache for her.

Not inferior at all, just different.

 

[Lighthouse77]

people think ASL keep deaf from learning English, and I read plenty of blogs how people feel ASL is not as complex and rich as spoken language.

 

[Bottesini]

people think ASL keep deaf from learning English, and I read plenty of blogs how people feel ASL is not as complex and rich as spoken language.

It's kind of an outmoded view. You might feel more cheerful if you tried reading more positive things.

 

[Lighthouse77]

where?

 

[faire_jour]

people think ASL keep deaf from learning English, and I read plenty of blogs how people feel ASL is not as complex and rich as spoken language.

Where on earth do you find such outdated, uninformed people?

 

[Glenn]

people think ASL keep deaf from learning English, and I read plenty of blogs how people feel ASL is not as complex and rich as spoken language.

And how many of those English speakers can use a second language fluently? As for ASL not being as complex and rich-I'd say that's a little subjective.

 

[Lighthouse77]

Where on earth do you find such outdated, uninformed people?

Just from several blogs... I wish I could find it because I was googling while I was reading it (I can't even remember what keywords I used) . These were parents who choose CI and it was their opinion. And no, they are not from CI circle... they are just random blogs.

 

[faire_jour]

Just from several blogs... I wish I could find it because I was googling while I was reading it. These were parents who choose CI and it was their opinion. And no, they are not from CI circle... they are just random blogs.

I think that the vast majority, regardless of their personal choices, don't believe.

 

[Lighthouse77]

then sometimes I wonder why some people worry about the brain switch so much? What their reasons behind it.