Metaphors we Learn to Sign by: Transfer Effects of Existing Sign Language Expertise on Meaning Assignment and Metaphor Inference in a Novel Sign Language

Abstract

How experience within a language modality shapes the ability to extrapolate novel meanings based on metaphors from one language to the next is unknown. We explore this with novice vs native signers, focusing on the interplay of iconicity and modality-specific metaphor strategies. Does greater expertise in one sign language help or hinder inferring novel signs in another? Find out in our poster!