Language and deafness

Abstract

This presentation begins with a brief discussion of some of the political, theoretical and methodological problems involved in the study of language development in pre-lingually deaf children. After an overview of the pre-verbal stages of development, it moves on to consider aspects of the structure of English grammar that create specific problems for deaf children and considers these in the light of research into the language development of hearing children. Studies of literacy in deaf children are discussed and explanations sought for the characteristic 'errors' that many children make in reading and writing and for the strategies they adopt in reading. Finally, some of the complex explanations given for the nature and origins of deaf children's language-learning problems are explored. The discussion ends with a brief critical description of the 'typical' structure and content found in linguistic interactions between teachers of the deaf and their pupils in school.