SUNDAY ASSEMBLY WITH KAREN EMMOREY

with Karen Emmorey
Professor of Speech Language at SDSU, Director of the SDSU Laboratory for Language & Cognitive Neuroscience

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Sign Language and the Brain

These days we see sign language everywhere: on stages, on television, and in the movies, most recently in The Shape of Water. But what do we know about sign language? How many sign languages are there? Is signing like pantomime? Are different parts of the brain used to comprehend and produce sign language? How are signed and spoken languages similar? The answers to these questions tell us a lot about the nature of human language. Dr. Karen Emmorey, Distinguished Professor in the School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at San Diego State University will dispel some common myths about sign language and address what the study of sign languages can reveal about human language and the brain.

Today’s Speaker: Dr. Karen Emmorey

Dr. Karen Emmorey is a Distinguished Professor in the School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at San Diego State University and the Director of the Laboratory for Language and Cognitive Neuroscience. She received her doctorate in Linguistics in 1987 from UCLA and worked as a Senior Staff Scientist at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies for many years. Dr. Emmorey’s research focuses on how deaf and hearing people produce and comprehend sign language and how these processes are represented in the brain. Her research interests also include bimodal bilingualism (i.e., sign-speech bilingualism) and the neurocognitive underpinnings of reading skill in profoundly deaf adults. More information can be found on her lab’s website: https://slhs.sdsu.edu/llcn/ and you can follow Dr. Emmorey on twitter at @kemmorey1.

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Sunday Assembly San Diego is a new radically inclusive secular community that meets monthly to hear inspirational talks, connect for service projects, sing songs and generally celebrate life. Assemblies are free to attend, and everyone is welcome.

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Kids and youth programs available for free at every Assembly.

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Stay after the assembly for coffee, snacks and to hang out with other assemblers

Sunday Assembly San Diego is a new radically inclusive deity-free community that meets monthly to hear inspirational talks, connect for service projects, sing songs and generally celebrate life. Assemblies are free to attend, and everyone is welcome.