Mouthing in PJM under Observation: Structure and Typology

The MOST project (Mouthing in PJM under Observation: Structure and Typology) investigates the use of mouthing in Polish Sign Language (PJM), focusing on its structure, functions, and typology within the context of PJM’s contact with spoken Polish. Mouthing is a cross-modal language contact phenomenon where elements of spoken words are articulated alongside manual signs during signing. The project aims to fill two significant research gaps: (1) the lack of a systematic description of mouthing in PJM, especially given the inflectional morphology of spoken Polish, and (2) the limited typological understanding of mouthing across sign languages. The project hypothesizes that mouthing in PJM is influenced by Polish morphology, potentially resulting in inflected mouthing patterns not observed in other sign languages, contributing to language processing and comprehension.MOST will be carried out through two interconnected studies: a corpus-based study to describe the overall properties of mouthing in PJM, focusing on usage patterns, functions, and sociolinguistic factors; and an experimental study to test how mouthing aids language comprehension by reducing cognitive load. Both approaches will allow for a detailed investigation of mouthing’s functions in PJM. Project results will be compared with existing research on mouthing in other sign languages to expand the typological landscape of mouthing in sign languages globally. By bridging corpus-based and psycholinguistic approaches, MOST offers a unique perspective on the interaction between signed and spoken languages, enhancing our understanding of language contact phenomena.Conducted at University College London with a secondment at the University of Bergen, the project aligns with the European Commission’s priority of promoting social fairness and inclusion by contributing to the understanding of minority languages, improving accessibility, and fostering inclusive communication.