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Sign Duration in Infant-Directed Signing: Evidence from Deaf Mother-Hearing Infant Dyads in Israeli Sign Language

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Title: Sign Duration in Infant-Directed Signing: Evidence from Deaf Mother-Hearing Infant Dyads in Israeli Sign Language
Language: English
Authors: Orit Fuks (ORCID 0000-0003-2206-7276)
Source: First Language. 2026 46(3):466-491.
Availability: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 26
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Sign Language, Deafness, Mothers, Infants, Interpersonal Communication, Age Differences, Predictor Variables, Language Usage, Developmental Stages, Suprasegmentals, Toddlers
Geographic Terms: Israel
DOI: 10.1177/01427237251397685
ISSN: 0142-7237
1740-2344
Abstract: This longitudinal study examined how sign duration in Israeli Sign Language infant-directed input is shaped by linguistic and developmental factors. Two Deaf mothers were video-recorded interacting naturally with their hearing children between 10 and 36 months of age. Sign duration decreased with child age, reflecting a shift from pedagogically enriched to more compact input. Iconic signs were elongated relative to non-iconic signs, particularly at younger ages, suggesting a perceptual scaffolding function. Lexical category was the strongest predictor: object and attribute signs were consistently produced with longer durations than action or function signs. Lexical frequency had no significant effect on sign duration. Qualitative observations identified prosodic strategies--such as final holds and enlarged movement--to enhance visual salience during early input. These findings underscore how Deaf caregivers adapt their signing to the child's developmental level, using prosodic modulation informed by iconic and lexical features. Sign duration thus emerges as a dynamic and communicatively motivated feature of infant-directed signing, supporting early language acquisition in the visual-manual modality.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1507769
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Sign Duration in Infant-Directed Signing: Evidence from Deaf Mother-Hearing Infant Dyads in Israeli Sign Language
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Orit+Fuks%22">Orit Fuks</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2206-7276">0000-0003-2206-7276</externalLink>)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22First+Language%22"><i>First Language</i></searchLink>. 2026 46(3):466-491.
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  Data: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
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  Data: 26
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sign+Language%22">Sign Language</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Deafness%22">Deafness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mothers%22">Mothers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Infants%22">Infants</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Interpersonal+Communication%22">Interpersonal Communication</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Age+Differences%22">Age Differences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Predictor+Variables%22">Predictor Variables</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Language+Usage%22">Language Usage</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Developmental+Stages%22">Developmental Stages</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Suprasegmentals%22">Suprasegmentals</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Toddlers%22">Toddlers</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Israel%22">Israel</searchLink>
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  Data: 10.1177/01427237251397685
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  Data: This longitudinal study examined how sign duration in Israeli Sign Language infant-directed input is shaped by linguistic and developmental factors. Two Deaf mothers were video-recorded interacting naturally with their hearing children between 10 and 36 months of age. Sign duration decreased with child age, reflecting a shift from pedagogically enriched to more compact input. Iconic signs were elongated relative to non-iconic signs, particularly at younger ages, suggesting a perceptual scaffolding function. Lexical category was the strongest predictor: object and attribute signs were consistently produced with longer durations than action or function signs. Lexical frequency had no significant effect on sign duration. Qualitative observations identified prosodic strategies--such as final holds and enlarged movement--to enhance visual salience during early input. These findings underscore how Deaf caregivers adapt their signing to the child's developmental level, using prosodic modulation informed by iconic and lexical features. Sign duration thus emerges as a dynamic and communicatively motivated feature of infant-directed signing, supporting early language acquisition in the visual-manual modality.
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        Value: 10.1177/01427237251397685
    Languages:
      – Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 26
        StartPage: 466
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sign Language
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      – SubjectFull: Deafness
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      – SubjectFull: Mothers
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Infants
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Interpersonal Communication
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Age Differences
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      – SubjectFull: Predictor Variables
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Language Usage
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      – SubjectFull: Developmental Stages
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      – SubjectFull: Suprasegmentals
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      – SubjectFull: Toddlers
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      – SubjectFull: Israel
        Type: general
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      – TitleFull: Sign Duration in Infant-Directed Signing: Evidence from Deaf Mother-Hearing Infant Dyads in Israeli Sign Language
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              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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