Publications
Publications under review
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Ortega, G.; Hirata, Y. & Kelly, S. (in press). The effect of iconicity in second language learning in speech, gesture, and sign. Handbook of Iconicity in Language. Fisher, O.; Akita, K. & Perniss, P. (eds.).
Schiefner, A.; Ortega, G. & Perniss, P. (under review). Iconicity shapes lexical similarity: the case of British Sign Language and German Sign Language. Glossa.
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Peer-reviewed publications
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Ortega, G., Schiefner, A., Lazarus, N. & Perniss, P. (2025) A lexical database of British Sign Language (BSL) and German Sign Language (DGS): Iconicity ratings, iconic strategies, and concreteness norms. Behavior Research Methods. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-025-02660-z
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Ortega, G. (2024). Book Review: Perspectives on Pantomime. Gesture, Online first. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1075/gest.24027.ort
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Karadöller, D.; Peeters, D.; Manhardt, F.; Özyürek, A. & Ortega, G. (2024). Iconcity and gesture jointly facilitate learning of second language signs at first exposure in hearing non-signers. Language Learning. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/lang.12636
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Hernández, D.; Puupponen, A.; Keränen, J.; Ortega, G. & Jantunen, T. (2024). Between bodily action and conventionalized structure: The neural mechanism of constructed action in sign language comprehension. Brain and Language. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandl.2024.105413
Niu, C.; Cienki, A.; Ortega, G. & Coen, M. (2022). How do children learning Mandarin learn to talk about causal events: A multimodal, developmental perspective. Journal of Child Language. https://www.doi.org/10.1017/S0305000922000447
Ortega, G. & Ostarek, M. (2020). Evidence for visual simulation during sign language processing. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. 10.1037/xge0001041
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Ortega, G. & Özyürek, A. (2019). Types of iconicity and combinatorial strategies distinguish semantic categories in the manual modality across cultures. Language and Cognition. 1-30. doi.org/10.1017/langcog.2019.28
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Ortega, G. Özyürek, A. & Peeters, D. (2019). Iconic gestures serves as manual cognates in hearing second language learners of a sign language: An ERP study. Journal of Experimental Psychology; Learning, Memory and Cognition. dx.doi.org/10.1037/xlm0000729
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Ortega, G. & Özyürek, A. (2019). Hearing non-signers use their gestures to predict iconic form-meaning mappings at first exposure to sign. Cognition. 191, 1-17 doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2019.06.008
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Ortega, G. & Özyürek, A. (2019). Systematic mappings between semantic categories and types of iconic representations in the manual modality: A normed database of silent gesture. Behavior and Research Methods. doi.org/10.3758/s13428-019-01204-6. Open access database at the Open Science Foundation https://osf.io/w4apb/
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Ortega, G. (2017). Iconicity and sign language acquisition: A review. Frontiers in Psychology, 8: 1280. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01280
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Ortega, G., Sümer, B. & Özyürek, A. (2017). Type of iconicity matters in the vocabulary development of signing children. Developmental Psychology, 53(1), 88-99. doi:10.1037/dev0000161
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Ortega, G. & Morgan, G. (2015). Input processing at first exposure to a sign language. Second Language Research, 19(10), 443-463. doi:10.1177/0267658315576822
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Ortega, G. & Morgan, G. (2015). Phonological development in hearing learners of a sign language: The role of sign complexity and iconicity. Language Learning. 65 (3), 660-668. doi:10.1111/lang.12123
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Ortega, G. & Morgan, G. (2015). The effect of sign iconicity in the mental lexicon of hearing non-signers and proficient signers: Evidence of cross-modal priming. Language Cognition and Neuroscience, 30(5), 574-585. doi:10.1080/23273798.2014.959533
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Ortega, G. (2014). Acquisition of a signed phonological system by hearing adults: The role of sign structure and iconicity. Sign Language and Linguistics. 17(2), 267-275. doi:10.1075/sll.17.2.09ort.
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Ortega, G. & Morgan, G. (2010). Comparing child and adult development of a visual phonological system. Language, Interaction and Acquisition. 1(1), 67-81. doi:10.1075/lia.1.1.05ort.
Other publications
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Ortega, G., Schiefner, A., & Ozyurek, A. (2017). Speakers’ gestures predict the meaning and perception of iconicity in signs. In G. Gunzelmann, A. Howe, & T. Tenbrink (Eds.), Proceedings of the 39th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (CogSci 2017) (pp. 889-894). Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society.
Ortega, G., & Özyürek, A. (2016). Generalisable patterns of gesture distinguish semantic categories in communication without language. In A. Papafragou, D. Grodner, D. Mirman, & J. Trueswell (Eds.), Proceedings of the 38th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society (CogSci 2016) (pp. 1182-1187). Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society.
Ortega, G. (2016). Language acquisition and development. In G. Gertz, G. & P. Boudreault, P. (Eds.) The SAGE Deaf Studies Encyclopedia: Vol 3 (p. 547-551). London: SAGE Publications Inc.
Ortega, G., Sümer, B. & Özyürek, A. (2014). Type of iconicity matters: Bias for action based signs in sign language acquisition. In P. Bello, M. Guarini, M. McShane, & B. Scassellati (Eds.), Proceedings of the 36th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 1114-1119). Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society.
Ortega, G. & Özyürek, A. (2013). Gesture-sign interface in hearing non-signers' first exposure to sign. In Proceedings of the Tilburg Gesture Research Meeting. Tilburg, The Netherlands.
Ortega, G. (2010). MSJE TXT: un evento social [Text messaging: a social event]. Lectura y Vida. Revista latinoamericana de Lectura [Latin American Journal of Literacy]. 4, 44-53.
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PhD dissertation
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Ortega, G. (2013). Acquisition of a signed phonological system by hearing adults: the role of sign structure and iconicity. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University College London. University College London repository.