In a series of experiments, we examined the sentence processing strategies used by post-childhood first language (L1) signers of ASL when comprehending simple transitive events that are sometimes ridiculous, e.g. when an apple bites a man. We found that even the use of basic word order is not always robust among post-childhood L1 signers, especially when it conflicts with other non-structural cues such as animacy or event plausibility.
Cheng, Q., Keller, M., & Yan, X. (2022, Sep). When animacy overshadows word order in sentence comprehension: The case of late first-language acquisition of American Sign Language. Poster presentation at the 14th International
Conference on Theoretical Issues in Sign Language Research (TISLR). Osaka, Japan. [poster]
Cheng, Q., & Mayberry, R. I. (2021). When event knowledge overrides word order in sentence comprehension: Learning a first language after childhood. Developmental Science, e13073. [link] [Full-text access]
Cheng, Q., & Mayberry, R. I. (2019). Acquiring a first language in adolescence: the case of basic word order in American Sign Language. Journal of child language, 46(2), 214-240. [link][PubMed] [ICSCL poster]