Development of aspect in children’s narrations in German Sign Language

Aspectual verb modifications have hardly been considered in acquisition research of sign languages. I present new findings from German Sign Language (DGS) based on the data from the largest study to date on sign language development of children in DGS. The data consists of narrations by 72 native signing children, aged 4–11 years, elicited with the language-free stimulus video of the German Sign Language Production Test — Narrative Competences (NaKom DGS). The statistical analysis is based on a Generalized Additive Model, estimating nonlinear regression lines, which allow the visual representation of language development. In this study, aspectual verb modifications for continuatives, iteratives, and conatives are analyzed by changes in the movement parameter. Aspectual verb modifications occur in the elicited DGS narratives of children from the age of 4;8. Up to the age of 10;2 years, the data shows strong development with an increasing production frequency in the children’s narratives. The different types of aspectual verb modifications seem to develop divergingly. The results suggest that in DGS, the aspectual verb modifications conatives and iteratives are produced earlier and more frequently.