2024 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 17-19, 2024 • Denver, CO
| Learning ASL as a late second language depends on the strength of the first language foundation
Learning ASL as a late second language depends on the strength of the first language foundation
English-first proponents claim “...the window for a deaf child to acquire listening and spoken language is much shorter than the window in which ASL can be acquired.” Learning American Sign Language (ASL) becomes a “fallback option” – a second language (L2), but only later in life. However, what we know about adult ASL learners focuses on hearing learners while literature on deaf adult learners is limited. In other contexts, studies show that L2 learning depends on a strong first language (L1) foundation. How this applies to deaf adults learning ASL remains unknown. We used English reading (PIAT-R) and ASL comprehension (ASL-CT) tasks to test whether L2 ASL performance relates to the strength of L1 English in deaf and hearing adult learners of ASL.
Four groups of signers participated, clustered by hearing status, age of ASL exposure, and reading score: hearing (n=9), deaf strong readers (DSR; n=5), deaf weak readers (DWR; n=6), and deaf early bilinguals (DEB; n=7). DSR’s reading scores did not significantly differ from hearing or DEB groups, but DWR scored lower than the other L2 groups (Mann-Whitney: DWR vs DSR U=30, p=0.008; DWR vs HL2 U=0, p=0.008). DWR, hearing, and DEB performed similarly on their respective English and ASL measures: weak readers were weak signers and strong readers were strong signers. However, DSR’s English and ASL scores did not align, suggesting that deaf people’s experiences learning ASL as adults may differ from hearing L2 signers.
Our data suggest that the possibility of ASL as a fallback language option for deaf children warrants further investigation. What has been found about hearing L2 signers may not apply to deaf L2 learners. Furthermore, we suggest that an early bimodal-bilingual approach may avoid the late weak signer/weak reader experience.
- Identify similarities and differences between deaf and hearing adult learners of ASL
- Discuss why deaf strong readers may still struggle to learn ASL later in life
- Identify approaches that may offer diversity of language experiences early in life
Presentation:
3353554_14927KajKraus.pdf
Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Kaj Kraus
(Primary Presenter,Author,Co-Author), Gallaudet University, kaj.kraus@gallaudet.edu;
Kaj Kraus [he/him] is a deaf linguist, researcher, educator, and advocate. He is a doctoral student in linguistics and adjunct professor at Gallaudet University. Kaj’s research focuses on language acquisition and the cognition-language development interface, and he has published on the importance of early exposure to accessible language for deaf children. Previously, he earned a Bachelor's degree from New York University and a Master’s degree from Gallaudet University.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
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AAA DISCLOSURE:
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Deanna Gagne
(Co-Author), Gallaudet University, deanna.gagne@gallaudet.edu;
Deanna Gagne [she/her] is an assistant professor in the Department of Linguistics at Gallaudet University. She received her PhD from the University of Connecticut in Developmental Psychology with concentrations in the Neurobiology of Language and the Cognitive Sciences. Her research focuses on the ways in which children acquire or develop language and how early language experiences relate to cognitive development. As a researcher and a parent of a deaf child, she is actively engaged in understanding and describing the ways that the varied language experiences of deaf children contribute to language use across the lifespan.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
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Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE:
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Nonfinancial -