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GeorgetownX: Sign Language Science: Emergence and Evolution of Sign Language

This course connects the emergence and evolution of signed languages to the history of the people who use these languages. You will learn this concept in depth, especially the legacy and heritage of American Sign Language (ASL).

Sign Language Science: Emergence and Evolution of Sign Language
4 weeks
3–5 hours per week
Self-paced
Progress at your own speed
This course is archived
Sign Language Science: Emergence and Evolution of Sign Language

About this course

Skip About this course

ASL has a long history and good documentation. This course, Emergence and Evolution of Sign Language, explores the origins of ASL by beginning with the key events and key concepts. How do people learn signed languages? Why do people enjoy using them? This key information will provide a foundation for understanding the relationship between how people use language, how it’s learned, and how a language community is formed and sustained. This foundation will illustrate how the language survives, which is equally important to recognize. These ideas will be discussed in this core course and they provide a foundation of understanding about where language comes from and why they vary.

At a glance

  • Language: English
  • Video Transcript: English
  • Associated programs:
  • Associated skills:American Sign Language (ASL), Sign Languages

What you'll learn

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By the end of the course learners should be able to:

  • State the role that iconicity plays in the emergence and evolution of ASL

  • Define the term "chereology"

  • Identify the primary and secondary parameters in sign formation

  • Describe the nature of cognitive encoding of individual signs

  • Describe the nature of language-specific constraints on sign formation

  • Distinguish between conventionalization and innovation in sign language

This course is part of American Sign Language Science Professional Certificate Program

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Expert instruction
4 skill-building courses
Self-paced
Progress at your own speed
4 months
3 - 5 hours per week

Ways to take this course

Choose your path when you enroll.

Certificate

Free

Price

$129 USD

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Access to course materials

Unlimited

Limited

World-class institutions and universities

edX support

Shareable certificate upon completion

Graded assignments and exams

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