Nicaraguan Sign Language: Past to Present

Professor of Psychology and Director of the Language Acquisition and Development Research Laboratory Ann Senghas studies the evolution of language. Through the lens of Nicaraguan Sign Language (NSL), a unique language that originated in the 1970s, Senghas studies how language shifts from one generation to the next. “It’s the only case that we know of that’s been documented while its originators are still alive,” says Senghas. Each summer, she travels to Nicaragua with a team of researchers, including Barnard students, to document NSL users engaging with one another. Photo Credit: Misha Tulek