Browsing by Author "Goksun, Tilbe"

Now showing 1 - 13 of 13

Citation Count: 7
Children's Thinking-For Bidirectional Effects of L1 Turkish and L2 English for Motion Events
(John Benjamins Publishing Co, 2021) Aktan-Erciyes, Asli; Goksun, Tilbe; Tekcan, Ali Izzet; Aksu-Koc, Ayhan
This study investigates how children lexicalize motion events in their first and second languages, L1-Turkish and L2-English. English is a satellite-framed language that conflates motion with manner expressed in the main verb and path in a non-verbal element, whereas Turkish is a verb-framed language that conflates motion with path in the main verb and expresses manner in a subordinated verb. We asked three questions: (i) Does early L2 acquisition in an L1 dominant society affect motion event lexicalization in L1? (2) Is the effect of L2 on L1 subject to change due to decline in L2 exposure? (3) Do L1 vs. L2 lexicalizations differ within the bilingual mind? One hundred and twelve 5- and 7-year-old monolingual and bilingual children watched and described video-clips depicting motion events. For L1 descriptions, 5-year-old bilinguals used more manner structures than monolinguals. No difference was found for 7-year-olds. For L2 descriptions, 7-yearold bilinguals used more manner-only constructions compared to their L1 descriptions. For 5-year-old bilinguals no difference was found. Findings suggest that early exposure to a second language had an impact on how motion events are packaged, while decline in L2 exposure dampened the effects of L2.
Citation Count: 2
Early Parental Causal Language Input Predicts Children's Later Causal Verb Understanding
(Cambridge Univ Press, 2023) Aktan-Erciyes, Asli; Goksun, Tilbe
How does parental causal input relate to children's later comprehension of causal verbs? Causal constructions in verbs differ across languages. Turkish has both lexical and morphological causatives. We asked whether (1) parental causal language input varied for different types of play (guided vs. free play), (2) early parental causal language input predicted children's causal verb understanding. Twenty-nine infants participated at three timepoints. Parents used lexical causatives more than morphological ones for guided-play for both timepoints, but for free-play, the same difference was only found at Time 2. For Time 3, children were tested on a verb comprehension and a vocabulary task. Morphological causative input, but not lexical causative input, during free-play predicted children's causal verb comprehension. For guided-play, the same relation did not hold. Findings suggest a role of specific types of causal input on children's understanding of causal verbs that are received in certain play contexts.
Citation Count: 0
Exploring Emotions Through Co-Speech Gestures: the Caveats and New Directions
(Sage Publications inc, 2024) Aslan, Zeynep; Ozer, Demet; Goksun, Tilbe
Co-speech hand gestures offer a rich avenue for research into studying emotion communication because they serve as both prominent expressive bodily cues and an integral part of language. Despite such a strategic relevance, gesture-speech integration and interaction have received less research focus on its emotional function compared to its cognitive function. This review aims to shed light on the current state of the field regarding the interplay between co-speech hand gestures and emotions, focusing specifically on the role of gestures in expressing and understanding both others' and one's own emotions. The article concludes by addressing current limitations in the field and proposing future directions for researchers investigating gesture-emotion interaction. Our goal is to provide a roadmap to researchers in their exploration of the role of gestures in emotions, ultimately contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of how gestures and emotions intersect.
Citation Count: 4
Gesture use in L1-Turkish and L2-English: Evidence from emotional narrative retellings
(Sage Publications Ltd, 2023) Ozder, Levent Emir; Ozer, Demet; Goksun, Tilbe
Bilinguals tend to produce more co-speech hand gestures to compensate for reduced communicative proficiency when speaking in their L2. We here investigated L1-Turkish and L2-English speakers' gesture use in an emotional context. We specifically asked whether and how (1) speakers gestured differently while retelling L1 versus L2 and positive versus negative narratives and (2) gesture production during retellings was associated with speakers' later subjective emotional intensity ratings of those narratives. We asked 22 participants to read and then retell eight emotion-laden narratives (half positive, half negative; half Turkish, half English). We analysed gesture frequency during the entire retelling and during emotional speech only (i.e., gestures that co-occur with emotional phrases such as happy). Our results showed that participants produced more representational gestures in L2 than in L1; however, they used more representational gestures during emotional content in L1 than in L2. Participants also produced more co-emotional speech gestures when retelling negative than positive narratives, regardless of language, and more beat gestures co-occurring with emotional speech in negative narratives in L1. Furthermore, using more gestures when retelling a narrative was associated with increased emotional intensity ratings for narratives. Overall, these findings suggest that (1) bilinguals might use representational gestures to compensate for reduced linguistic proficiency in their L2, (2) speakers use more gestures to express negative emotional information, particularly during emotional speech, and (3) gesture production may enhance the encoding of emotional information, which subsequently leads to the intensification of emotion perception.
Citation Count: 1
Gestures Cued by Demonstratives in Speech Guide Listeners' Visual Attention During Spatial Language Comprehension
(Amer Psychological Assoc, 2023) Ozer, Demet; Karadoller, Dilay Z.; Ozyurek, Asli; Goksun, Tilbe
Gestures help speakers and listeners during communication and thinking, particularly for visual-spatial information. Speakers tend to use gestures to complement the accompanying spoken deictic constructions, such as demonstratives, when communicating spatial information (e.g., saying The candle is here and gesturing to the right side to express that the candle is on the speaker's right). Visual information conveyed by gestures enhances listeners' comprehension. Whether and how listeners allocate overt visual attention to gestures in different speech contexts is mostly unknown. We asked if (a) listeners gazed at gestures more when they complement demonstratives in speech (here) compared to when they express redundant information to speech (e.g., right) and (b) gazing at gestures related to listeners' information uptake from those gestures. We demonstrated that listeners fixated gestures more when they expressed complementary than redundant information in the accompanying speech. Moreover, overt visual attention to gestures did not predict listeners' comprehension. These results suggest that the heightened communicative value of gestures as signaled by external cues, such as demonstratives, guides listeners' visual attention to gestures. However, overt visual attention does not seem to be necessary to extract the cued information from the multimodal message.
Citation Count: 0
Influences of early and intense L2 exposure on L1 causal verb production: Comparison of 5-, 7-, and 9-year-old bilingual and monolingual children
(Sage Publications Ltd, 2024) Aktan-Erciyes, Asli; Ger, Ebru; Goksun, Tilbe
This study investigates the influences of early and intense L2 exposure on children's L1 causative verb production, assessed by an experimental causative verb production task. Turkish expresses causality by morphological and lexical means, whereas English does so by periphrastic and lexical means. Learning L2 English might enhance L1 Turkish causative verb production by highlighting the parallels and contrasts in causal expressions between the languages, which may result in an enriched L1 causative use. Five-, 7 -, and 9-year-old L1-Turkish L2-English bilingual (n = 80) and L1-Turkish monolingual (n = 80) children participated in the study in L1-Turkish. Results indicated that language group differences only emerged for the use of morphological causative verbs in favor of 5-year-old bilinguals compared with monolingual peers. Age group differences occurred only for the monolingual group and only for morphological verbs. Specifically, monolingual 7- and 9-year-olds performed better than monolingual 5-year-olds. Causative verb-type differences were only seen for 5-year-old monolinguals, who performed better for lexical than morphological verbs; in contrast, 5-year-old bilinguals performed equally well on the two types of causatives, and better than 5-year-old monolinguals on morphological causatives. Overall, these findings indicate that learning an L2 with structural similarities and differences compared with L1 might enhance children's awareness and correct use of causal linguistic structures.
Citation Count: 1
Linguistic and nonlinguistic evaluation of motion events in a path-focused language
(Cambridge Univ Press, 2022) Aktan-Erciyes, Asli; Akbuga, Emir; Dik, Feyza Nur; Goksun, Tilbe
This study examines how properties of path (the trajectory of motion) and manner (how an action is performed) components of motion events are reflected in linguistic and nonlinguistic motion event conceptualization in a path-focused language, Turkish. In two experiments, we investigated how path and manner differed in salience (i.e., prominence) and ease of expression (EoE, i.e., effort of describing), and how these factors were related to lexicalization and similarity judgments of motion events. In Experiment 1, participants rated motion events based on path and manner salience and EoE and expressed path and manner in a written format. Results indicated that manner was rated as more salient and path as easier to express. Path salience and EoE were related to both types (i.e., number of different expressions) and the total number of paths and manners used. However, manner EoE but not salience was associated with only types and the total number of manners used. In Experiment 2, participants rated the similarity of motion event pairs created using the ratings in Experiment 1. We found that higher manner salience and EoE difference were associated with lower similarity ratings. These findings suggest that salience and EoE of path and manner are related to both linguistic and nonlinguistic aspects of motion event conceptualization.
Citation Count: 0
The Link Between Early Iconic Gesture Comprehension and Receptive Language
(Wiley, 2024) Dogan, Isil; Ozer, Demet; Aktan-Erciyes, Asli; Furman, Reyhan; Demir-Lira, O. Ece; Ozcaliskan, Seyda; Goksun, Tilbe
Children comprehend iconic gestures relatively later than deictic gestures. Previous research with English-learning children indicated that they could comprehend iconic gestures at 26 months, a pattern whose extension to other languages is not yet known. The present study examined Turkish-learning children's iconic gesture comprehension and its relation to their receptive vocabulary knowledge. Turkish-learning children between the ages of 22- and 30-month-olds (N = 92, M = 25.6 months, SD = 1.6; 51 girls) completed a gesture comprehension task in which they were asked to choose the correct picture that matched the experimenter's speech and iconic gestures. They were also administered a standardized receptive vocabulary test. Children's performance in the gesture comprehension task increased with age, which was also related to their receptive vocabulary knowledge. When children were categorized into younger and older age groups based on the median age (i.e., 26 months-the age at which iconic gesture comprehension was present for English-learning children), only the older group performed at chance level in the task. At the same time, receptive vocabulary was positively related to gesture comprehension for younger but not older children. These findings suggest a shift in iconic gesture comprehension at around 26 months and indicate a possible link between receptive vocabulary knowledge and iconic gesture comprehension, particularly for children younger than 26 months.
Citation Count: 4
Motion Event Representation in L1-Turkish Versus L2-English Speech and Gesture: Relations To Eye Movements for Event Components
(Sage Publications Ltd, 2023) Aktan-Erciyes, Asli; Akbuga, Emir; Kizildere, Erim; Goksun, Tilbe
Purpose: We investigated interrelations among speech, co-speech gestures, and visual attention in first language (L1)-Turkish second language (L2)-English speakers' descriptions of motion events. We asked whether young adults differed in their spoken, gestural expressions, and visual attention toward event components of manner (how an action is performed) and path (the trajectory of an action) after controlling for their L2 proficiency. Methodology: Participants were 49 native Turkish speakers (M-age = 20.98) whose second language is English. After watching each video (recording eye movements), they were asked to describe the motion event videos, and their speech and gesture were coded. English competence level was measured using a standardized assessment. Data and Analysis: We performed analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) to investigate both within- and across-language differences for L1-Turkish and L2-English spoken and gestural expressions. To analyze eye-gaze behaviors with respect to language and event component differences, we performed t-tests. Last, hierarchical linear regressions were conducted to examine the relationship between visual attention and the use of path and manner in speech and gesture separately. Findings: For L1-Turkish speech, participants used more path than manner constructions, indicating no particular effect of L2 on L1. For L2-English, participants used similar amounts of path and manner descriptions. Path gestures dominated for both L1-Turkish and L2-English. Participants allocated more attention to figures possibly related to manners rather than grounds (paths). There was no effect of L2 proficiency on verbal and gestural explanations or visual attention to events. Originality: This study adopts an integrative approach through investigating speech, gesture, and eye-gaze behavior patterns in motion event conceptualization while also addressing L1 and L2 differences within this framework. Implications: These findings highlight the similarities in visual attention and the use of gestures across L1-Turkish and L2-English motion event descriptions, and only an expected difference in verbal expressions.
Citation Count: 4
Motor Skills, Language Development, and Visual Processing in Preterm and Full-Term Infants
(Springer, 2023) Kobas, Mert; Kizildere, Erim; Dogan, Isil; Aktan-Erciyes, Asli; Demir-Lira, O. Ece; Akman, Ipek; Goksun, Tilbe
Language development is intertwined with motor development. This study examined how visual processing might mediate the relation between language development and motor skills in preterm (PT, n = 34, Mean gestational age = 30 weeks) and full-term infants (FT, n = 35, Mean gestational age = 38.9 weeks) at 13 months of age. Infants' visual processing, fine and gross motor skills were tested using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning. Parents reported on infants' language skills (word comprehension and early communicative behavior), using the Turkish version of CDI (TCDI). Results showed that PT infants performed worse than their FT peers on gross motor skills and visual processing, but not on language. When controlling for age and neonatal condition (being preterm or not), visual processing mediated the relation between gross motor skills and word comprehension as well as early communicative behavior. However, for fine motor skills, visual processing mediated the relation between fine motor skills and early communicative behavior but not word comprehension. The relations between motor skills and visual processing were more robust for the PT group than the FT group. Following developmental cascades, these findings suggest that motor skills contribute to language development through visual processing. These relations are prominent for preterm infants who have delays in motor skills. PT children's limited interactions with their environment due to problems in motor skills can be connected to delays in visual processing.
Citation Count: 0
The Multifaceted Nature of Early Vocabulary Development: Connecting Children's Characteristics With Parental Input Types
(Wiley, 2024) Goksun, Tilbe; Aktan-Erciyes, Asli; Karadoller, Dilay Z.; Demir-Lira, O. Ece
Children need to learn the demands of their native language in the early vocabulary development phase. In this dynamic process, parental multimodal input may shape neurodevelopmental trajectories while also being tailored by child-related factors. Moving beyond typically characterized group profiles, in this article, we synthesize growing evidence on the effects of parental multimodal input (amount, quality, or absence), domain-specific input (space and math), and language-specific input (causal verbs and sound symbols) on preterm, full-term, and deaf children's early vocabulary development, focusing primarily on research with children learning Turkish and Turkish Sign Language. We advocate for a theoretical perspective, integrating neonatal characteristics and parental input, and acknowledging the unique constraints of languages.
Citation Count: 1
Parental input during book reading and toddlers' elicited and spontaneous communicative interactions
(Elsevier Science Inc, 2022) Unlutabak, Burcu; Aktan-Erciyes, Asli; Yilmaz, Duygu; Kandemir, Songuel; Goksun, Tilbe
This study examined the relation between characteristics of parental input, particularly focusing on questions and pointing gestures directed to toddlers during book reading, and toddlers' elicited and spontaneous communicative interactions. A total of 30 Turkish speaking parents and their toddlers (18 girls, Mage = 18.79 SDage = 1.55) were observed during shared book reading. The communicative interactions were coded for parents' questions and pointing, and toddlers' elicited and spontaneous speech and pointing. The results showed that parents' label questions with pointing were positively associated with toddlers' elicited speech. Similarly, parents' label questions without pointing, and parents' description questions with pointing were positively associated with toddlers' elicited pointing. These findings highlight the importance of parental questions accompanied by pointing when eliciting toddler communicative interactions both in the form of speech and pointing, and provides insight for how to best communicate with toddlers during such interactions.
Citation Count: 1
Parental Use of Causal Language for Preterm and Full-Term Children: a Longitudinal Study
(Cambridge Univ Press, 2023) Ozdemir, Salih C.; Aktan-Erciyes, Asli; Goksun, Tilbe
Parents are often a good source of information, introducing children to how the world around them is described and explained in terms of cause-and-effect relations. Parents also vary in their speech, and these variations can predict children's later language skills. Being born preterm might be related to such parent-child interactions. The present longitudinal study investigated parental causal language use in Turkish, a language with particular causative morphology, across three time points when preterm and full-term children were 14-, 20-, and 26-months-old. In general, although preterm children heard fewer words overall, there were no differences between preterm and full-term groups in terms of the proportion of causal language input. Parental causal language input increased from 20 to 26 months, while the amount of overall verbal input remained the same. These findings suggest that neonatal status can influence the amount of overall parental talk, but not parental use of causal language.