@inproceedings{malaia-etal-2026-displacement,
title = {The Displacement-Velocity Dissociation in Sign Language Learning: Kinematic Signatures of Event Structure in Novice {{\"O}GS} Signers},
author = {Malaia, Evguenia A. and
Krebs, Julia and
Harbour, Eric and
Martetschl{\"a}ger, Julia and
Schwameder, Hermann and
Roehm, Dietmar and
Wilbur, Ronnie B.},
editor = "Efthimiou, Eleni and
Fotinea, Stavroula-Evita and
Hanke, Thomas and
Hochgesang, Julie A. and
Mesch, Johanna and
Schulder, Marc",
booktitle = "Proceedings of the {LREC} 2026 12th Workshop on the Representation and Processing of Sign Languages: Language in Motion",
month = may,
year = "2026",
address = "Palma, Mallorca (Spain)",
publisher = "ELRA Language Resources Association (ELRA)",
url = "https://aclanthology.org/2026.signlang-1.34/",
doi = "10.63317/2r4douivdpjm",
pages = "324--332",
abstract = {This study investigates how adult learners acquire linguistically contrastive movement patterns in Austrian Sign Language ({\"O}GS), focusing on the telic/atelic distinction predicted by the Event Visibility Hypothesis. Telic verbs (bounded events) are produced by proficient Deaf signers with shorter duration and temporally precise, low-entropy velocity profiles, whereas atelic verbs (unbounded processes) show more continuous motion. Using 3D motion capture (300 Hz), we compared 8 novice learners (6{--}12 weeks of instruction) with 6 proficient Deaf signers across 71 verbs. Linear mixed-effects models revealed a dissociation between gross movement patterning and fine-grained velocity profile structure in learner productions. Learners correctly reproduced the proportional path-length contrast between telic and atelic verbs, replicating the gross spatial distinction of proficient signers. However, temporal marking of the telic/atelic contrast was underproduced: learners showed a significantly smaller duration difference between verb types than proficient signers, while total path length did not differ significantly between verb types or groups. Temporal control showed significant between-group differences: learners exhibited elevated sample entropy, with non-proficient velocity profiles within individual sign productions, though spatial consistency across trials (STI) was comparable to that of proficient signers. Peak velocity did not differ between groups, suggesting that learners can reach target speeds but cannot yet modulate temporal structure reliably. These findings support distinct learning trajectories for gross movement patterning and fine-grained motion complexity, and demonstrate that velocity profile structure within signs constitutes a core linguistic target in sign language learning.}
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<abstract>This study investigates how adult learners acquire linguistically contrastive movement patterns in Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS), focusing on the telic/atelic distinction predicted by the Event Visibility Hypothesis. Telic verbs (bounded events) are produced by proficient Deaf signers with shorter duration and temporally precise, low-entropy velocity profiles, whereas atelic verbs (unbounded processes) show more continuous motion. Using 3D motion capture (300 Hz), we compared 8 novice learners (6–12 weeks of instruction) with 6 proficient Deaf signers across 71 verbs. Linear mixed-effects models revealed a dissociation between gross movement patterning and fine-grained velocity profile structure in learner productions. Learners correctly reproduced the proportional path-length contrast between telic and atelic verbs, replicating the gross spatial distinction of proficient signers. However, temporal marking of the telic/atelic contrast was underproduced: learners showed a significantly smaller duration difference between verb types than proficient signers, while total path length did not differ significantly between verb types or groups. Temporal control showed significant between-group differences: learners exhibited elevated sample entropy, with non-proficient velocity profiles within individual sign productions, though spatial consistency across trials (STI) was comparable to that of proficient signers. Peak velocity did not differ between groups, suggesting that learners can reach target speeds but cannot yet modulate temporal structure reliably. These findings support distinct learning trajectories for gross movement patterning and fine-grained motion complexity, and demonstrate that velocity profile structure within signs constitutes a core linguistic target in sign language learning.</abstract>
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%0 Conference Proceedings
%T The Displacement-Velocity Dissociation in Sign Language Learning: Kinematic Signatures of Event Structure in Novice ÖGS Signers
%A Malaia, Evguenia A.
%A Krebs, Julia
%A Harbour, Eric
%A Martetschläger, Julia
%A Schwameder, Hermann
%A Roehm, Dietmar
%A Wilbur, Ronnie B.
%Y Efthimiou, Eleni
%Y Fotinea, Stavroula-Evita
%Y Hanke, Thomas
%Y Hochgesang, Julie A.
%Y Mesch, Johanna
%Y Schulder, Marc
%S Proceedings of the LREC 2026 12th Workshop on the Representation and Processing of Sign Languages: Language in Motion
%D 2026
%8 May
%I ELRA Language Resources Association (ELRA)
%C Palma, Mallorca (Spain)
%F malaia-etal-2026-displacement
%X This study investigates how adult learners acquire linguistically contrastive movement patterns in Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS), focusing on the telic/atelic distinction predicted by the Event Visibility Hypothesis. Telic verbs (bounded events) are produced by proficient Deaf signers with shorter duration and temporally precise, low-entropy velocity profiles, whereas atelic verbs (unbounded processes) show more continuous motion. Using 3D motion capture (300 Hz), we compared 8 novice learners (6–12 weeks of instruction) with 6 proficient Deaf signers across 71 verbs. Linear mixed-effects models revealed a dissociation between gross movement patterning and fine-grained velocity profile structure in learner productions. Learners correctly reproduced the proportional path-length contrast between telic and atelic verbs, replicating the gross spatial distinction of proficient signers. However, temporal marking of the telic/atelic contrast was underproduced: learners showed a significantly smaller duration difference between verb types than proficient signers, while total path length did not differ significantly between verb types or groups. Temporal control showed significant between-group differences: learners exhibited elevated sample entropy, with non-proficient velocity profiles within individual sign productions, though spatial consistency across trials (STI) was comparable to that of proficient signers. Peak velocity did not differ between groups, suggesting that learners can reach target speeds but cannot yet modulate temporal structure reliably. These findings support distinct learning trajectories for gross movement patterning and fine-grained motion complexity, and demonstrate that velocity profile structure within signs constitutes a core linguistic target in sign language learning.
%R 10.63317/2r4douivdpjm
%U https://aclanthology.org/2026.signlang-1.34/
%U https://doi.org/10.63317/2r4douivdpjm
%P 324-332
Markdown (Informal)
[The Displacement-Velocity Dissociation in Sign Language Learning: Kinematic Signatures of Event Structure in Novice ÖGS Signers](https://aclanthology.org/2026.signlang-1.34/) (Malaia et al., SignLang 2026)
ACL