Language is the most important device in means of communication between human beings all over the world. We use it to ask something, to complain or explain and to tell what we think about things that come into our mind. But what if everything around you is silent? If you are deaf. You need to take advantage of one of your other organs, the eyes. Take advantage of facial expressions and gesticulation performed by others. In this term paper we have a look on language acquisition by deaf children in comparison with the acquisition by hearing children. First of all I will give information about deafness in general followed by an introduction to sign language. I will concentrate on American Sign Language (ASL) because of the small amount of information available about the other kinds of sign language. Within the comparison we need to differentiate between children growing up with hearing or deaf parents because of the impact the social environment has on language acquisition. This is also relevant to state because only 10% of the deaf children actually have deaf parents. Further I would like to introduce bilingualism in connection with deafness. In my conclusion I will state why studies on the subject of language acquisition by deaf children are important to understand language in his whole complexity.
Table of Contents
1.Introduction
2.Language Acquisition by Deaf children
2.1 Deafness
2.2 Sign Language
2.3 Language Acquisition by hearing children compared with deaf children
2.3.1 Deaf children with deaf parents
2.3.2 Deaf children with hearing parents
2.4 Bilingualism by deaf children
3. Conclusion
Objectives and Core Topics
This paper examines the processes of language acquisition in deaf children, contrasting their developmental milestones with those of hearing children. It analyzes the impact of environmental factors and social context, specifically focusing on the differences between deaf children raised by deaf parents and those raised by hearing parents, while exploring the significance of sign language and bilingual education.
- The linguistic foundations and acquisition stages of American Sign Language (ASL).
- Comparative analysis of language development in deaf versus hearing infants.
- The role of parental hearing status and early language input in social and cognitive development.
- The critique of oralist traditions and the importance of natural sign language exposure.
- The implementation of bilingual education models for deaf students.
Excerpt from the Book
2.1 Deafness
In the first years of life, hearing is a critical element of children's social, emotional, and cognitive development. Even a mild or partial hearing loss can affect a child's ability to speak and understand language. Hearing loss is one of the most common birth defects then about 1-3 infants out of every 1,000 will have some degree of hearing loss at birth according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). Hearing loss can also develop in children who had normal hearing as infants. The loss can occur in one or both ears, and may be mild, moderate, severe, or profound. Profound hearing loss is what most people call deafness. Deafness is the total inability to hear and it can be present at birth (congenital) or appears at any age thereafter. Reasons for deafness are various as for example family history of hearing loss, infection with some viruses and bacteria (meningitis, mumps, measles), born prematurely and etc..
Signs of hearing loss in infants vary by age. One could be that a newborn baby with hearing loss may not look up when a loud noise sounds nearby or older infants may show no reaction when spoken to by family members. Sometimes deafness is not diagnosed until children are in school. Sadly, this happens even if children are born with hearing loss. Because of this screening for hearing loss is now recommended for all newborns. This is in particular important because early treatment of hearing loss can allow many infants to develop normal language skills without delay. Treatments like speech therapy and the learning of sign language are used to help children develop naturally. This leads us to the next point we need to mention, sign language.
Summary of Chapters
1.Introduction: Sets the stage for exploring language acquisition in deaf children, highlighting the necessity of comparing them with hearing children and addressing the importance of sign language.
2.Language Acquisition by Deaf children: Explores the nature of deafness and sign language, provides a comparative analysis of acquisition patterns in various social environments, and discusses the role of bilingualism.
3. Conclusion: Summarizes the key findings regarding the impact of the environment on language acquisition and reiterates the necessity of early, competent linguistic input for deaf children.
Keywords
Language Acquisition, Deaf Children, American Sign Language, ASL, Deafness, Bilingualism, Oralism, Critical Period, Cognitive Development, Sign Language Structure, Linguistic Input, Language Deprivation, Hearing Loss, Manual Babbling.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research paper?
The paper fundamentally explores how deaf children acquire language, comparing their developmental milestones and linguistic competence with those of hearing children.
What are the central themes discussed in the work?
The central themes include the nature of deafness, the linguistic complexity of sign language, the influence of early language input, and the challenges of bilingual education for the deaf.
What is the main research question or goal?
The goal is to understand how environmental factors, specifically the presence or absence of a natural language model like ASL, impact the language acquisition process and social development of deaf children.
Which scientific methods are utilized?
The author synthesizes existing linguistic studies, including the work of William Stokoe, Susan Goldin-Meadow, and Virginia Volterra, to analyze developmental milestones and the efficacy of different educational approaches.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The main body covers the medical definition of deafness, the linguistic independence of ASL, a comparative analysis of infants with deaf versus hearing parents, and an evaluation of bilingual instruction projects like HandsOn.
Which keywords define the paper's scope?
The scope is defined by terms such as language acquisition, ASL, bilingualism, critical period hypothesis, and manual babbling.
How does the "critical period" affect deaf children?
The critical period is presented as an ideal window of time for language acquisition; without consistent input during this phase, deaf children may struggle to achieve full grammatical proficiency.
What is the significance of the "HandsOn" project?
The HandsOn project serves as a case study for utilizing technology to facilitate bilingual education, proving that deaf children can successfully integrate printed English with ASL competence.
Why did the "oralist tradition" fail according to the paper?
The paper argues that oralism failed because it treated sign language as non-language and forced deaf children to rely on ineffective lip-reading, excluding the natural non-verbal communication essential for development.
- Quote paper
- Kristina Coltzau (Author), 2011, Language Acquisition by deaf children, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/181038
