"He Said What?!": Constructed Dialogue in Various Interface Modes

This study analyzes the manifestation of constructed dialogue in ASL narratives as dependent on the interface mode (i.e., face-to-face conversation, electronic conversation over videophone, and vlog monologues). Comparisons of eye gaze over three interface modes shows how aspects of constructed dialogue are altered to fit the communication mode. Research on spoken languages has presented strong evidence of language variations as dependent on the interface mode (e.g. via telephone). Our study here examines whether American Sign Language also exhibits variation in response to the interface mode. We discovered that the features of constructed dialogue—eye-gaze and body (posture) shifts—are influenced by the interface mode. Specifically, our analysis shows that eye-gaze shifts were less frequent in the video monologues and even less common in the videophone interactions. These findings reveal that American Sign Language indeed exhibits effects of electronic communication.