Iconicity in sign language production: Task matters

Abstract

The present study explored the influence of iconicity on sign lexical retrieval and whether it is modulated by the task at hand. Lexical frequency was also manipulated to have an index of lexical processing during sign production. Behavioural and electrophysiological measures (ERPs) were collected from 22 Deaf bimodal bilinguals while performing a picture naming task in Catalan Sign Language (Llengua de Signes Catalana, LSC) and a word-to-sign translation task (Spanish written-words to LSC). Iconicity effects were observed in the picture naming task, but not in the word-to-sign translation task, both behaviourally and at the ERP level. In contrast, frequency effects were observed in the two tasks, with ERP effects appearing earlier in the word-to-sign translation than in the picture naming task. These results support the idea that iconicity in sign language is not pervasive but modulated by task demands. As discussed, iconicity effects in sign language would be emphasised when naming pictures because sign lexical representations in this task are retrieved via semantic-to-phonological links. Conversely, attenuated iconicity effects when translating words might result from sign lexical representations being directly accessed from the lexical representations of the word.

Neurophysiological effects of frequency, length, phonological neighborhood density, and iconicity on sign recognition

“…The results, however, stand in contrast to previous sign recognition studies reporting a lack of iconicity effects on ERPs [11,15]. Iconicity effects may be modulated by task requirements, in a way that they would arise when the task emphasizes or taps into semantic activation [16]. The semantic decision task here focused specifically on meaning properties and might thus lead to greater semantic activation than the translation task used in [15], prompting the use of iconicity even during the early stages of sign recognition.…”

“…The iconicity effects originated early in time, in line with prior reports in sign production [16] (though with different polarity), suggesting that iconicity may confer an advantage during the early stages of lexical processing. The results, however, stand in contrast to previous sign recognition studies reporting a lack of iconicity effects on ERPs [11,15].…”

“…Behaviorally, some studies showed facilitatory effects of iconicity in sign comprehension [13], some indicated inhibitory effects [14], and others found no effects at all [12]. ERP studies have reported a lack of iconicity effects during sign comprehension [11,15], but revealed early effects in sign production [16].…”

Ten Things You Should Know About Sign Languages

“…Recent studies also indicate that iconicity can impact both sign recognition (Vinson et al, 2015) and production (Sehyr & Emmorey, 2022). However, iconicity effects are not always observed, and some effects of iconicity may be task specific (Gimeno-Martínez & Baus, 2022). Further, many variables have yet to be fully investigated, such as the type of iconicity, the role of language proficiency, and how iconic mappings are construed.…”

How (and why) does iconicity effect lexical access: An electrophysiological study of American sign language

“… Vinson et al (2015) found that pictures that elicited iconic British Sign Language (BSL) signs were named more quickly than those that elicited non-iconic BSL signs. Faster picture-naming for iconic signs has now been replicated across other signed languages, including Italian Sign Language (LIS; Navarrete et al, 2017 ; Pretato et al, 2018 ), ASL ( McGarry et al, 2020 ; Sehyr and Emmorey, 2022 ), and Catalan Sign Language (LSC; Baus and Costa, 2015 ; Gimeno-Martínez and Baus, 2022 ).…”