Eyetracking Studies of ASL


tracking eye gaze
tracking eye gaze

Signed languages exhibit characteristics found in all human languages, but at the same time they include characteristics that are clearly shaped by the visual-spatial modality. One of these properties is the use of eye gaze to mark linguistic contrasts. This project uses head-mounted eye-tracking technology to address the following questions:

  • What role does eye gaze play in the grammar of American Sign Language (ASL)?
  • How is ASL grammar learned as a second language by hearing people?
  • What are the linguistic and cognitive factors that cause shifts in eye gaze during ASL perception?
  • How do the linguistic and social functions of eye gaze interact?

Funding

This research was supported by the National Science Foundation Linguistics Program (BCS 0517994).

Recent Publications