Event structure reflected in muscle activation differences in Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS) verbs: First evidence from surface electromyography

This paper aims to introduce kinematic motion capture analysis and electromyography(EMG) methodology in the context of experimental investigations involving signlanguages. While motion capture has been employed in previous sign language research,the application of EMG is relatively novel. We utilized both motion capture andEMG techniques to examine the disparities in muscle activation associated with theproduction of telic verb signs (with boundary marking, e.g. the verb arrive) andatelic verb signs (lacking boundary marking, e.g. the verb run) in Austrian SignLanguage (ÖGS). The data analysis revealed that the visual boundary marking inherentin the production of telic signs, which is kinematically characterized by heightenedacceleration, jerk, and deceleration at the conclusion of a sign, is generated by increased activation in upper arm muscles during the sign and hold interval for telics comparedto atelics. In contrast, the majority of atelics exhibited a repeated movement, whichcontributed to more pronounced muscle activation in the forearm compared to telics.The EMG/motion capture combined method applied to sign language production offersnovel insights into linguistics of sign language that were previously inaccessible.