ABSTRACT
A major theme of this book is the extent to which there are biological constraints on the nature of language. We have examined whether the visual-gestural nature of signed languages has an impact on linguistic form, on language processing, on language acquisition, or on other cognitive domains. We now turn to the question of whether the contrasting sensorimotor properties of sign and speech constrain the underlying neural systems for language. Is the functional neuroanatomy of language dependent on the sensory and motor modalities through which it is perceived and produced? Detailed studies are beginning to reveal the neural systems that are involved in language comprehension and production in users of signed languages. Figure 9.1 provides a very basic road map for the major structures of the human brain that will help the reader follow the discussions in this chapter.
