Current projects

Modals of American Sign Language (ASL) is my ongoing dissertation project, and it seeks to answer a few questions about the expression and modification of ASL modals, namely:

What are some common modal signs and non-manual markers in ASL? What force and flavor do they each express?

How can modification of a modal verb's movement affect its force, flavor, and/or strength?

What, if any, non-manuals can directly convey modal force or flavor in ASL? What, if any, non-manuals can modify an ASL modal sign’s force or flavor (or any other component of its meaning)?

How does word order affect the force, flavor, and strength of ASL modals?

Modals of Croatian Sign Language (HZJ) is a parallel project to my project on the modals of ASL, and seeks to answer roughly the same questions. This project is being done in collaboration with Dr. Marina Milković at the University of Zagreb.

Degree Modification on the Lower Face focuses on lower face non-manual markers (NMMs), which have been previously described as primarily functioning as manner adverbials and adjectives of size and distance in American Sign Language (ASL) (Liddell, 1980; Baker-Shenk & Cokely, 1980). I propose a third, connected function of lower face NMMs: degree modification. This project thus examines the chin, tongue, cheeks, lips, teeth, and jaw to showcase the various degree-modifying properties of a wide variety of lower face NMMs. Thus far, I have examined the NMMs "flat chin" and "tongue flaps (quick, lateral, and vertical)"; both sub-projects are discussed briefly below.

Flat Chin focuses on the non-manual marker (NMM) “flat chin” (aka AU-17) in American Sign Language (ASL). It analyzes both corpus and targeted elicited data to propose possible semantic functions of flat chin in ASL. My current (tentative) analysis shows that flat chin functions as a domain widener, quite different from anything in English. Most recently, I presented on flat chin at Semantics and Linguistic Theory (SALT) 32 with my PhD advisor,  Dr. Ezra Keshet. Previously, I presented on my findings SSLL2018, PURC (2018 & 2019), the Purdue Fall Undergraduate Research Expo, and TISLR13  — all of these presentations and posters were coauthored with Dr. Ronnie B. Wilbur, who also presented our findings in 2019 at the Automatic Recognition and Analysis of American Sign Language workshop at the University of Chicago. (You can find links to all presentations under Posters & Presentations.)

Tongue Flaps is a new project focusing on a small set of non-manual markers referred to as tongue flaps — quick tongue flap ('qtf') and tongue flap, both lateral and vertical (both shortened as 'tf'). As with Flat Chin, this project analyzes both corpus and targeted elicited data to propose possible semantic functions of the tongue flaps in ASL.