New faculty join SB Linguistics: Jenny Singleton

Dr. Jenny Singleton will join our department starting Fall 2021. Her research sits at the intersection of linguistics, psychology, and education. She uses experimental, language elicitation, and observational research methods to investigate sign language acquisition. Most recently, she is exploring how adults (both caregivers and teachers) provide appropriate visual and gestural cues to support a deaf child’s sign learning. Additionally, Singleton conducts research on sign language disorders in deaf youth and explores how hearing sign language learners fare if they have been diagnosed with a spoken language impairment or learning disability. Her overarching research question aims to understand the role of language modality (spoken or signed) and socialization patterns present during the language acquisition process, especially when the learner, or the learning context, are considered atypical.