How you can summarize any research article critically,?

1. Subject: Fundamentals of language and linguistics
Assignment topic: Critical summary of an Article
Primary source of material: The provided article “The emergence of grammar: Systematic
structure in a new language.” By Wendy Sandler, Irit Meir , Carol Padden . and Mark Aronoff
Author; Ahmad Mashhood

2. Acquisition of grammar is governed by Universal grammar not due to influence of other
surrounding languages in a social group.
SUMMARY OF THE RESEARCH ARTICLE:
In this article there is the syntactical linguistic description of a
newly developed language sing language known as ABSL ( Al-sayyid Beduoin sign language )
in an tribal Israeli social group on the name of which this home signers language of congenital
deaf children evolved as a new kind of sign language among the same stable community . This
sign language emerged as a completely unique language different in the third generation group of
deaf children as compared to the first generation.
The objective of the article was to study the grammar of this new ABSL in comparison with
other local languages such as , classical Arabic, Hebrew , ISL ,Spoken Arabic dialects .The
second objective was to find out that either other surrounding languages have any influence on
the systematic structure of ABSL or not . The findings of the data analysis showed that grammar
has not been influenced by other surrounding languages in its development and evolution.
AUTHOR’S CLAIM IN THE RESEARCH ARTICLE;
The main argument of the author is that the systematic
structure, which can be regarded as grammar in this case of ASBL is regarded as independent
linguistic entity as it is not influenced by the other surrounding languages in its development
within the language.
Grammar is independent in its development not influenced by external influences, it is an
internal mechanism.

3. EVALUATION OF AUTHORS’ CLAIM:
The claim of the author in this study has strong social and historical
background. Human beings have strong interest in the study of language development over the
period of time. Many psychologists and linguistics thought that we can see through the glass of
new language into the process of language acquisition. Pidgins and creoles were thought to be
the languages which were considered to be studied but their short use and purpose and lack of a
stable community were some drawbacks. The external influences effected pidgin and creoles,
Nicraragua sign language.
The ABSL provided an opportunity to the researchers as its unique circumstances of creation and
lack of its interaction with other language made it a thing to be researched. The argument of the
author is quite strong as the findings of the study showed that S-V-O agreement is different from
all the surrounding languages and this things make it a unique language not influenced by the
grammar of other language.
In the data analysis from the deaf children , it was evident that there are
some variations in the form of S.V (60%) , o.v(55%) s-o-v (30%) , s-o-io-v, s-v-o ,s-v-io-0,
however vast majority of data were unambiguous , and straightforwardly (s-)o-v . This kind of S-
O-V is referring towards the generalizability and it can be the effect of proto-language pattern as
referred by , (Dryer,(1996) ; Bickerton(1984) ;Newmeyer(2000) ) .The findings of the research
article and author indirectly referred towards a universally accepted claim of Chomsky(1959)
theory of innateness and Universal grammar .

4. . Although the objective of the study was to find out the effect of other languages on the
grammar of newly emerged language in the social group. But syntactic analysis showed that it’s
the ability of human mind for structuring a communication system along grammatical lines.
Which is presently accepted idea in the context of psycholinguistics.
This anthropological and socio linguistic research also provided an interesting
insight in the development of language as it concluded “ We have found that one of the most
organizing principles in language , the grammatical relation between subject (s) , object(o) , and
verb (v) in an utterance , has been fixed at a very early stage in the development of the language .
Word order is significant because it provides a conventionalized means of expressing the relation
between elements in a sentence without relying on extra linguistic context.” (p.1).
The study has some anthropological implications as there are some interesting facts about the
rituals and language use in a stable community, their marriage system, their language use and
their perspective about traditions. The study of any social group require a variable which
represent the characteristics of that group and according to sociolinguists ,language is a
remarkable feature of any group as it represents the various traditions , cultural histories and
perspectives about the various phenomenon of daily life works .Even beliefs of that group are
reflecting in their language .

5. FURTHER RESEARCH ON THE BASIS OF THIS RESEARCH FINDINGS:
The data collected in this research was the recorded videos of
descriptive and narrative talk of the deaf children, and then interpretation of the native expert
home signer and after comes the transcription from the expert. If the conversational dialogue was
recorded between two deaf children were used as data instrument it can be more effective as it
will be more focused on real language use context. There should be a longitudinal study on the
early development of these children as it will reveal the real influence of other language
speakers, signers on the deaf children.
FUTURE HYPOTHESIS ON THE FINDINGS OF THE PRESENT RESEARCH:
The findings of the study was focused on the independent emergence
of grammar and considered it a psycholinguistic abstract phenomenon, but the question arises
(1) . Is there any difference in other aspects of grammar in the ABSL speakers and
surrounding language speakers?
(2) . Only s-o-v agreement is enough for ABSL speakers in daily life communication?
(3) .If the deaf speakers own the writing ability can discourse analysis of writings provide us
information development instead of translating their discourse recordings from others?
(4) . In SLA process can the findings of this research be generalized, as they claim that there
is Interlanguage between L1 and L2?

6. .