Language acquisition has been studied for a long time, but it is not completely understood yet. Charles Darwin may have been the first to examine the development of a first language and he assumed that humans have an instinct to learn language. Later on this idea was replaced by the notion that the acquisition of language is a sociocultural phenomenon. In the early 1960s the linguist Chomsky presented a new explanation: he said that children learn a language in the same way, for example, as they learn to walk upright, because it is part of their nature and not because it is a form of their culture. Thus language acquisition has a natural course of development.1If this theory is absolutely right or not is still being argued but shall not be the prior topic of this paper. This work shall examine what happens if children are hearing impaired. Are they able to follow the usual process of language acquisition or not.
In order to assess the consequences of language acquisition affected by physical disability, one has to consider a ‘general’ process of language development first. There are various factors which have an influence on a child’s process of language acquisition. How large the impact of a specific factor is varies from theory to theory. Nevertheless, linguists agree that the “grammatical structure, the possible innate language acquisition mechanisms or biases as well as the biological or cognitive maturational factors and the nature of the language input to the child and the social context in which it takes place” influence a child’s language development. No matter which factor has the most impressive impact on a child’s speech progress, by the age of four years he or she usually has a good command of the basic vocabulary, syntax and phonology. This language proficiency is found in all healthy children all over the world.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. A Usual Language Acquisition Development
3. What is a Language Disorder?
4. Sign Language
5. Language Acquisition in Deaf Children
6. Problems of Sign Language Acquisition in Deaf Children
7. Problems in Reading and Writing
8. Conclusion
Objectives and Thematic Focus
This academic paper explores the complexities of language acquisition in deaf children, aiming to dispel the myth that deafness is intrinsically linked to cognitive impairment or "dumbness." By analyzing the developmental stages of both hearing and deaf children, the work evaluates how hearing impairment affects linguistic progress and assesses the role of educational environments in supporting effective communication skills.
- Comparison between normal language acquisition and acquisition in deaf children.
- Distinction between prelingual and postlingual deafness.
- Linguistic characteristics and grammatical structures of BSL and ASL.
- Analysis of educational settings (residential vs. day schools) and their influence on development.
- Challenges in reading and writing faced by deaf students.
Excerpt from the Book
Sign Language
In order to be able to analyse and describe sign language, the general characteristics of it have to be explained first.
The innate and acquired patterns, which build an abstract concept and allow the people to interact, are described by language. This can happen whether by words or by signs. Speech is a rather biological term which portrays the motor skills of the oral muscles, which in turn are responsible for the fact that we can express our verbal and linguistic knowledge. When this happens on the visual/manual level it is termed ‘sign language’. Spoken or signed language is known as verbal knowledge or communication. The antonym non-verbal communication is used for language which happens without linguistic knowledge.
In the further course of this paper the terms ASL and BSL will be subject of discussion. But what do these terms mean in detail, and what are their similarities?
British Sign Language (BSL) is used by hearing impaired people who live in the UK and has improved through the times. Until the first crucial developments in the first half of the 19th century, BSL was a rather crude iconic language. However, by 1870 there were 22 schools for the deaf in the UK. There are no concrete reports of the first attempts to create a sign language, it is assumed that even centuries ago people who stood in need to communicate via signs invented gestures and mimes to communicate.
Chapter Summaries
Introduction: Provides an overview of the history of language acquisition studies, noting the shift from Darwin’s instinct theory to modern views on sociocultural and biological factors.
A Usual Language Acquisition Development: Describes the milestones of childhood language, including cooing, babbling, and the emergence of holophrastic and multi-word utterances by age two.
What is a Language Disorder?: Defines language disorders as abnormal acquisition or expression of language and emphasizes the need for individualized, environmentally-aware therapeutic approaches.
Sign Language: Explains the characteristics of sign language as a complex visual/manual system and introduces British and American Sign Language as distinct, sophisticated languages.
Language Acquisition in Deaf Children: Examines studies regarding the effortless acquisition of sign language in children with deaf parents, suggesting that deaf children follow structural patterns similar to hearing children.
Problems of Sign Language Acquisition in Deaf Children: Discusses the significant challenges for deaf children born to hearing parents, particularly the lack of early exposure to sign language.
Problems in Reading and Writing: Highlights the statistical difficulties deaf individuals face in reading comprehension and written expression, often due to the lack of correspondence between sign grammar and written English.
Conclusion: Summarizes that with early intervention and supportive environments, deaf children achieve language mastery at a rate comparable to their hearing peers.
Keywords
Language acquisition, Deaf children, Sign Language, BSL, ASL, Prelingual deafness, Postlingual deafness, Cognitive development, Linguistic communication, Educational environment, Grammar, Speech therapy, Reading and writing, Language disorder, Communication.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary subject of this paper?
This paper examines the processes, challenges, and developmental milestones of language acquisition in children who are hearing impaired, specifically focusing on the differences between those in hearing and deaf environments.
What are the central themes discussed in this work?
The central themes include the nature of sign language, the developmental path of deaf children, the impact of educational settings, and the specific difficulties faced in written language proficiency.
What is the author's main research goal?
The goal is to disprove the misconception that deafness is equivalent to low intelligence or "dumbness" and to demonstrate that deaf children are capable of natural language acquisition when exposed to appropriate signs.
Which scientific methods are primarily utilized?
The paper utilizes a qualitative literature analysis, synthesizing theories from linguistics and psycholinguistics, as well as specific observational studies by linguists like Schlesinger, Meadow, and others.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The main body covers the standard path of language development, definitions of language disorders, structural properties of sign languages, and the critical influence of family and school environments on linguistic growth.
How would you describe the terminology used in this study?
The study relies on professional linguistic terminology, distinguishing between verbal communication, speech, and sign language, while using technical terms like "holophrastic" and "prelingual."
Why is the age of exposure so critical for deaf children?
The research indicates that grammatical proficiency in sign language is heavily dependent on early exposure; children introduced to sign language late often show delayed development in complex grammatical structures.
What did the studies by Newport and Supgalla reveal about language learning?
Their studies showed that while vocabulary acquisition might not vary significantly with age, the mastery of complex grammatical features, such as verbal inflections, decreases as the age of the first exposure to a sign language increases.
How does the educational environment impact social integration?
Residential schools provide a supportive social network of deaf peers, fostering security, whereas day schools may isolate deaf children who cannot easily interact with their hearing peers or regular school classmates.
- Quote paper
- Britta Wirth (Author), 2005, Language Acquisition in Deaf Children, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/53784
