Asli Ozyurek

Publications

Displaying 1 - 4 of 4
  • Senghas, A., Kita, S., & Ozyurek, A. (2004). Children creating core properties of language: Evidence from an emerging sign language in Nicaragua. Science, 305(5691), 1779-1782. doi:10.1126/science.1100199.

    Abstract

    A new sign language has been created by deaf Nicaraguans over the past 25 years, providing an opportunity to observe the inception of universal hallmarks of language. We found that in their initial creation of the language, children analyzed complex events into basic elements and sequenced these elements into hierarchically structured expressions according to principles not observed in gestures accompanying speech in the surrounding language. Successive cohorts of learners extended this procedure, transforming Nicaraguan signing from its early gestural form into a linguistic system. We propose that this early segmentation and recombination reflect mechanisms with which children learn, and thereby perpetuate, language. Thus, children naturally possess learning abilities capable of giving language its fundamental structure.
  • Ozyurek, A. (1998). An analysis of the basic meaning of Turkish demonstratives in face-to-face conversational interaction. In S. Santi, I. Guaitella, C. Cave, & G. Konopczynski (Eds.), Oralite et gestualite: Communication multimodale, interaction: actes du colloque ORAGE 98 (pp. 609-614). Paris: L'Harmattan.
  • Ozyurek, A. (1994). How children talk about a conversation. In K. Beals, J. Denton, R. Knippen, L. Melnar, H. Suzuki, & E. Zeinfeld (Eds.), Papers from the Thirtieth Regional Meeting of the Chicago Linguistic Society: Main Session (pp. 309-319). Chicago, Ill: Chicago Linguistic Society.
  • Ozyurek, A. (1994). How children talk about conversations: Development of roles and voices. In E. V. Clark (Ed.), Proceedings of the Twenty-Sixth Annual Child Language Research Forum (pp. 197-206). Stanford: CSLI Publications.

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