City Research Online

Abstract

This study compared the lexical-semantic organization skills of bilingually developing deaf children in American Sign Language (ASL) and English with those of a monolingual hearing group. A repeated meaning-association paradigm was used to assess retrieval of semantic relations in deaf 6–10-year-olds exposed to ASL from birth by their deaf parents, with responses coded as syntagmatic or paradigmatic. Deaf children's responses in ASL and English were compared at the within-group level, and their ASL was compared to the English responses of age-matched monolingual hearing children. Finally, the two groups were compared on their semantic performance in English. Results showed similar patterns for deaf children's responses in ASL and English to those of hearing monolinguals, but subtle language differences were also revealed. These findings suggest that sign bilinguals’ language development in ASL and English is driven by similar underlying learning mechanisms rooted in the development of semantic frameworks.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Mann, W., Sheng, L. & Morgan, G. (2016). Lexical-Semantic Organization in Bilingually Developing Deaf Children With ASL-Dominant Language Exposure: Evidence From a Repeated Meaning Association Task. Language Learning, 66(4), pp. 872-899, which has been published in final form at https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/lang.12169. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.
Publisher Keywords:	sign bilingual; vocabulary knowledge; semantic development; lexical-semantic organization; word association; deaf
Subjects:	P Language and Literature
Departments:	School of Health & Psychological Sciences > Language & Communication Science
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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