Birth of a Language in the Backlands of Brazil
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| Title: | Birth of a Language in the Backlands of Brazil |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Anderson Almeida-Silva (ORCID |
| Source: | Cognitive Science. 2025 49(12). |
| Availability: | Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 20 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, Language Acquisition, Sign Language, Deafness, Language Research, Linguistic Theory, Indigenous Populations, Caregiver Child Relationship, Models |
| Geographic Terms: | Brazil |
| DOI: | 10.1111/cogs.70159 |
| ISSN: | 0364-0213 1551-6709 |
| Abstract: | It is assumed that in order to acquire a language, children must be exposed to a language during the critical period, which generally lasts until puberty. Here, we report on Cena, an emergent sign language that has developed among a small group of deaf people in an isolated town in the state of Piauí, Brazil. Starting three generations ago, it has developed into a fully functioning communicative system with all characteristics of a typical human language even though Cena developed in a linguistic vacuum. What makes Cena interesting is that we are reasonably certain that Cena had no external input from the national sign language, Libras, or any other language during its formation. Cena challenges the assumption that to acquire the first language, the child must be exposed to a fully developed language. It developed from homesigns to an emergent sign language that is used for all aspects of village life. Cena also lends credence to the interactional model of language acquisition, which considers the interactions between the child and the caregivers to be the crucial element. The nativist model of language acquisition, which assumes a universal system underlying language, also plays a part. Through interaction, what arose is a system with characteristics essential to all human language. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Notes: | https://osf.io/qbrc2/overview?view_only=269023cbd32342648c0c8a9a73d68370 |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1493200 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: eric DbLabel: ERIC An: EJ1493200 AccessLevel: 3 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Birth of a Language in the Backlands of Brazil – Name: Language Label: Language Group: Lang Data: English – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Anderson+Almeida-Silva%22">Anderson Almeida-Silva</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4369-4885">0000-0003-4369-4885</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Remo+Nitschke%22">Remo Nitschke</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3660-1006">0000-0002-3660-1006</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Fernando+Valls+Yoshida%22">Fernando Valls Yoshida</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4400-4869">0000-0002-4400-4869</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Vitor+Nóbrega%22">Vitor Nóbrega</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3881-0108">0000-0003-3881-0108</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Shigeru+Miyagawa%22">Shigeru Miyagawa</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6134-9463">0000-0002-6134-9463</externalLink>) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Cognitive+Science%22"><i>Cognitive Science</i></searchLink>. 2025 49(12). – Name: Avail Label: Availability Group: Avail Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us – Name: PeerReviewed Label: Peer Reviewed Group: SrcInfo Data: Y – Name: Pages Label: Page Count Group: Src Data: 20 – Name: DatePubCY Label: Publication Date Group: Date Data: 2025 – Name: TypeDocument Label: Document Type Group: TypDoc Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research – Name: Subject Label: Descriptors Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Language+Acquisition%22">Language Acquisition</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="%22Language+Research%22">Language Research</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Linguistic+Theory%22">Linguistic Theory</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Indigenous+Populations%22">Indigenous Populations</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Caregiver+Child+Relationship%22">Caregiver Child Relationship</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Models%22">Models</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Brazil%22">Brazil</searchLink> – Name: DOI Label: DOI Group: ID Data: 10.1111/cogs.70159 – Name: ISSN Label: ISSN Group: ISSN Data: 0364-0213<br />1551-6709 – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: It is assumed that in order to acquire a language, children must be exposed to a language during the critical period, which generally lasts until puberty. Here, we report on Cena, an emergent sign language that has developed among a small group of deaf people in an isolated town in the state of Piauí, Brazil. Starting three generations ago, it has developed into a fully functioning communicative system with all characteristics of a typical human language even though Cena developed in a linguistic vacuum. What makes Cena interesting is that we are reasonably certain that Cena had no external input from the national sign language, Libras, or any other language during its formation. Cena challenges the assumption that to acquire the first language, the child must be exposed to a fully developed language. It developed from homesigns to an emergent sign language that is used for all aspects of village life. Cena also lends credence to the interactional model of language acquisition, which considers the interactions between the child and the caregivers to be the crucial element. The nativist model of language acquisition, which assumes a universal system underlying language, also plays a part. Through interaction, what arose is a system with characteristics essential to all human language. – Name: AbstractInfo Label: Abstractor Group: Ab Data: As Provided – Name: Note Label: Notes Group: Note Data: https://osf.io/qbrc2/overview?view_only=269023cbd32342648c0c8a9a73d68370 – Name: DateEntry Label: Entry Date Group: Date Data: 2026 – Name: AN Label: Accession Number Group: ID Data: EJ1493200 |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=EJ1493200 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1111/cogs.70159 Languages: – Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 20 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries Type: general – SubjectFull: Language Acquisition Type: general – SubjectFull: Sign Language Type: general – SubjectFull: Deafness Type: general – SubjectFull: Language Research Type: general – SubjectFull: Linguistic Theory Type: general – SubjectFull: Indigenous Populations Type: general – SubjectFull: Caregiver Child Relationship Type: general – SubjectFull: Models Type: general – SubjectFull: Brazil Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Birth of a Language in the Backlands of Brazil Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Anderson Almeida-Silva – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Remo Nitschke – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Fernando Valls Yoshida – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Vitor Nóbrega – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Shigeru Miyagawa IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 12 Type: published Y: 2025 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 0364-0213 – Type: issn-electronic Value: 1551-6709 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 49 – Type: issue Value: 12 Titles: – TitleFull: Cognitive Science Type: main |
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