L.R. Nikolai ’19, a current undergraduate student in the College of Liberal Arts, recently attended an annual conference for sign language researchers in Osaka, Japan seen here with her research mentor Dr. Ronnie Wilbur at the Toji Pagoda.
Nikolai’s research primarily focuses on the structure of American Sign Language. She is currently studying non-manual markers (grammatical facial expressions), as well as verb telicity, which concerns how verbs convey actions that do or do not have natural end points. While in Japan, Nikolai presented her research poster titled, “Facial Expressions in Sign Language Grammar: What Does the ‘Flat Chin’ Mean?”
“My poster discusses a non-manual marker called ‘flat chin’, which displays significant grammatical function but has never before been studied in ASL,” said Nikolai.
By traveling to Japan, Nikolai was able to learn a lot about the country’s food, culture, and languages. She has traveled to almost a dozen countries while in college, and has made hundreds of friends and learned things that she never would have been able to inside of Indiana. The conference also provided Nikolai with the opportunity to meet other researchers in her field.
“My favorite part was getting to learn a little bit of Japanese Sign Language,” said Nikolai. “Many people believe that sign languages are universal or that they’re based on a spoken language, but that couldn’t be more wrong. They are unique and incredibly complex languages that deserve more scientific study.”
Undergraduate Research Blog 