Iconicity and Sign Vocabulary Acquisition

This study was designed to investigate learning and retention of isolated sign vocabulary as a function of sign classification (iconic, opaque, or abstract). The subjects were 28 hearing college students naive to sign vocabulary. They were drilled with 30 signs from American Sign Language that had been classified as iconic, opaque, or abstract. Training was conducted using two different media: computer-assisted instruction and videotaped presentation.

Performance scores for the three types of signs were significantly different. Scores were consistently higher for iconic signs, regardless of the training mode. The videotaped presentation mode produced the greatest consistency in scores. The results of this study support the notion that it is easier for beginning students of sign language to learn and retain iconic signs.