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Language Acquisition and Development
Research Laboratory

ABOUT US

Welcome to the Language Acquisition and Development Research Laboratory at Barnard College of Columbia University. 

We study the powerful abilities that make children so adept at learning language. What is the nature of these abilities? What role do they play in the creation new languages? In language change over generations? How do they interact with other cognitive abilities? We approach these questions by studying Nicaraguan Sign Language, created over the past 40 years by a new generation of Deaf children and adolescents.  


Learn more about NSL here.

Funding

We are grateful to have been supported by the National Institutes of Health/NIDCD since 2002.

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Facts about
Nicaraguan Sign Language
40 
years old 
1,500 
people who currently use NSL as their primary language 
12 
deaf teachers in nicaragua
deaf education programs
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Our Research




Spatial Cognition & Signing


Phonology of NSL Signs


FACIAL MARKERS IN QUESTIONS


Referential Shift in NSL


Iconicity in NSL Signs


Numbers and Numerosity
Recent Publications

Rissman L., Horton L., Flaherty M., Coppola M., Senghas A., Brentari D. and Goldin-Meadow S. (2016). Strategies In Gesture And Sign For Demoting An Agent: Effects Of Language Community And Input. In S.G. Roberts, C. Cuskley, L. McCrohon, L. Barceló-Coblijn, O. Feher & T. Verhoef (eds.) The Evolution of Language: Proceedings of the 11th International Conference (EVOLANG11). http://evolang.org/neworleans/papers/158.html

Horton, L., S. Goldin-Meadow, M. Coppola, A. Senghas, D. Brentari. (2015). Forging a morphological system out of two dimensions: Agentivity and number. Open Linguistics, doi: 10.1515/opli-2015-0021

Brentari, D., M. Coppola, and A. Senghas (In press). Handshape complexity as a precursor to phonology: Evidence from acquisition and conventionalization in mature and emerging sign languages. Language Acquisition.

Kocab, A., J. E. Pyers, and A. Senghas. (2015). Referential shift in Nicaraguan Sign Language: A transition from lexical to spatial devices. Frontiers in Psychology, 5:1540. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01540

Goldin-Meadow, S., D. Brentari, M. Coppola, L. Horton, and A. Senghas. (2014). Watching language grow in the manual modality: Nominals, predicates, and handshapes. Cognition. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2014.11.029

Goldin-Meadow, S., D. Brentari, M. Coppola, L. Horton, and A. Senghas. (Revising to resubmit). Watching language grow in the manual modality: How the hand can distinguish between nouns and verbs.

Kocab, A., J. E. Pyers, and A. Senghas. (Under review). Referential shift in Nicaraguan Sign Language: A transition from lexical to spatial devices.

Brentari, D., M. Coppola, and A. Senghas. (Revising to resubmit). Handshape complexity as a precursor to phonology: Evidence from acquisition and conventionalization in mature and emerging sign languages.

Rabagliati, H., A. Senghas, S. Johnson, and G. F. Marcus (2012). Infant rule learning: Advantage language, or advantage speech? Public Library of Science PLoS ONE 7(7): e40517. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0040517 [Link]

Flaherty, M. and A. Senghas (2011). Numerosity and Number Signs in Deaf Nicaraguan Adults. Cognition, 121, 427-436.

Senghas, A. (2010). The emergence of two functions for spatial devices in Nicaraguan Sign Language. Human Development, 53, 287-302.

Pyers, J. E., A. Shusterman, A. Senghas, E. Spelke, and K. Emmorey (2010). Spatial language supports spatial cognition: Evidence from learners of an emerging sign language. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) 107:27 (12116-12120).

Pyers, J. and A. Senghas (2009). Language promotes false-belief understanding: Evidence from a new sign language. Psychological Science, 20:7, 805-812.

Senghas, A. (2005). Language emergence: Clues from a new Bedouin sign language. Current Biology, 15:12, 463-465.

Senghas, A., S. Kita, and A. Özyürek (2005). Linguaggio e evoluzione: I bambini sordi del Nicaragua mostrano come nasce una lingua. Darwin, 2:8, 88-96. [Includes Italian translation of Senghas et al. 2004, with additional text and graphics].

Senghas, A., A. Özyürek, and S. Kita (2005). Language emergence in vitro or in vivo? Response to comment on “Children creating core properties of language: Evidence from an emerging sign language in Nicaragua” Science, 309: 5731, 56.

Senghas, A., S. Kita, and A. Özyürek (2004). Children creating core properties of language: evidence from an emerging sign language in Nicaragua. Science, 305: 5691, 1779-1782.

Senghas, A. (2003). Intergenerational influence and ontogenetic development in the emergence of spatial grammar in Nicaraguan Sign Language. Cognitive Development, 18, 511-531.

Saffran, J. R., A. Senghas, and J. C. Trueswell (2001). The acquisition of language by children. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), 98: 23, 12874-12875. [authors listed alphabetically]

Senghas, A. (2001). Spatial and temporal coding of Nicaraguan Sign Language in MediaTagger: Documenting three dimensions with a two-dimensional tool. Sign Language and Linguistics, 4: 1/2, 229-240. [update and revision of Senghas, 1999]

Senghas, A., and M. Coppola (2001). Children creating language: How Nicaraguan Sign Language acquired a spatial grammar. Psychological Science, 12, 4: 323-328.

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Current Lab Members
Ann Senghas
Ann Senghas, ph.d
Principal Investigator

Dr. Senghas is a professor in the Department of Psychology at Barnard College and director of the Language Acquisition and Development Research Laboratory. Read More

Ezra Plancon
Ezra Plançon, M.A.
Lab Manager

Ezra Plançon joined the lab as manager in 2015. He received his BS from NYU in English Education and his MA in Deaf Studies at Gallaudet University. Read More

Team Member
Amber Martin, ph.d
Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Martin is an Assistant Professor at Hunter College in NYC and has been a post-doctoral fellow in the LADR Lab since 2009. Read More

Team Member
Caroline Zola
Undergraduate

Research Assistant

Caroline Zola (Barnard College ‘17) is a research assistant in the LADR lab. She is majoring in Linguistics and minoring in Anthropology. Read More

Charlotte Quincoses
Charlotte Quincoses
Undergraduate

Research Assistant

Charlotte (Barnard College '18) is a sophomore studying psychology and is interested in how mental illnesses affect teen development, especially among Latin American populations Read More