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<TITLE>RE: nouns vs. verbs in sign languages</TITLE>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>We have worked on this question explicitly in British Sign language Acquisition. 1. no effects of iconicity for the lexicon during the first 3 years and 2. marked preference for nouns over verbs up to 2;4. In fact contrary to your suggestion that iconicity might make verb acquisition quicker we report that verb acquisition in BSL (and ASL) is a particularly long process. We have two papers on first verbs, one is a published working paper, we are waiting to hear from 'first language' with the other. We also have a paper on later verb constructions in JCL</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Hope this is useful</FONT>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>Gary Morgan</FONT>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>Morgan, G., R. Herman & B. Woll (2002). "The development of complex verbs in British sign Language." Journal of Child Language 29: 655 - 675</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Morgan, G., Barriere, I. & Woll, B. (2003). First verbs in British Sign Language development. Working Papers in Language and Communication Science, vol 2 pp 57 66</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Morgan, G., Barriere, I. & Woll, B. The development of verb agreement morphology in BSL: why so slow?. Submitted to First Language.</FONT></P>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>-----Original Message-----</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>From: Michael Gasser [<A HREF="mailto:gasser@cs.indiana.edu">mailto:gasser@cs.indiana.edu</A>]</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Sent: 17 January 2004 19:22</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>To: info-childes@mail.talkbank.org</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Subject: nouns vs. verbs in sign languages</FONT>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>I'm sure many of you are familiar with issues in the debate over the</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>acquisition of verbs vs. nouns: whether verbs are universally harder, if</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>so why, if not, what it is about languages like Japanese that makes them</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>relatively early.</FONT>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>But does anyone know of work on the acquisition of nouns vs. verbs in sign</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>languages? I'm interested in this especially because of the possible role</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>that iconicity might play in verb acquisition.</FONT>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>Thanks.</FONT>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>Mike Gasser</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Indiana University</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Bloomington, IN, USA</FONT>
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